7 Vacation Frustration
by selfless1978
Summary: Well, this summer vacation wasn't quite what any of us expected, for more reasons than one. Takes place right after my oneshot "The Dance".
1. Chapter 1

I quietly watched as my kids were dragging suitcases out of their rooms, the pang hit me gain as they prepared for a long summer to spend with their other set of grandparents. The pang of a mother's little ones going away for an extended amount of time. Not that they were so little anymore. Dennis was now 16 and Amy 15 but they always would be my little ones.

School had just let out for the summer the week before and they had been looking forward to this trip since my Father-in-law and I talked about it a few months back. It was kind of ironic really, my ex and I rarely spoke to each other anymore, and he still rarely calls the kids and hasn't came to visit them since he moved out of state, nor offered to bring them to where he was. But my inlaws were always there. I loved them as much as I did my own parents, just didn't get to see them as much because they lived in Louisiana and we resided in Kansas.

But they were always calling, visiting when they could, sending them birthday and Christmas presents, even brought me and the kids down a few times if they could afford to do so. I never asked them to do that, they just took it upon themselves. "You let us be the grandparents we've always dreamed of wanting to be." My father-in-law, Peter, told me once. "And we love you so much just for that."

After my ex and I split, I had made them a promise. Just because I wasn't with their son anymore, didn't mean I would take these kids from them. They were still related to these children, shared the same blood, and I had no right to take them away, even if I wanted too. As long as they wanted to be in my children's lives, they were welcome in it.

That didn't mean we didn't have our own first breakup misunderstandings. David had told them things that had almost turned them from me, had twisted it all around to where the burden was laid squarely at my feet. I admit, I wasn't perfect, who was really? But it wasn't _all_ my fault. Finally my Mother-in-law, Ellen, had just reached out to me, probably in fear of losing her grandchildren because things were turning very bitter between her son and I very rapidly. It was then that I quickly reassured her, I wasn't going to do that to her. The quarrel was between David and I, not them. _They_ never did anything to even make me _want_ to consider pulling that stunt so many ex wives did. The kids just lost their dad, I wasn't about to add the grandparents to the list.

The relationship I shared with them was an honest one. For the most part. They talk to me about certains things they want to do and take the kids to go see and if the plans fall through on either side, which has happened a few time, then so be it. There was no hostility between us if life just happened to get in the way. We just made up for the loss of fun on the next trip or visit. I tell them how things are going here and they tell me what's going on down there so we can take the time to explain to the kids exactly why certain mishaps happened. But over the years, they never missed more than one or two trips, which was a way better track record than the man who sired them. Overall, they made a wonderful set of grandparents, and I wasn't going to rob my children of that.

There was only one real big thing I kept from them, and my children fully understood why. I felt awful for it, but really didn't have a choice. That reason now came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist as we watched the kids struggle with their large bags, banging the awkward things against my walls as they came down the hallway with them. "Missing them already?" Leo's quiet voice said into my ear as he kissed my hair. "They haven't even left yet."

"I know. But it's always so hard to let them go."

What ever he was going to reply to that was lost in the sudden commotion that happened. Mikey and Raph came barging in the house from where they had already loaded a couple of bags. "More?" Mikey asked incredulously. "Jeez, you think you were planning to just move down there." He walked over and took the bag Amy was struggling with and easily lifted it up over his shoulder, managing to smack Raph in the head with it who had come up behind him to help.

"Watch it you clutz!" Raph snapped at him.

"Well, don't walk up my ass then!"

"About to put a foot in it!"

"Lord..." Leo sighed as he moved in to break up the fight before Raph threw Mikey through my wall, suitcase and all.

I just chuckled at their antics as the last few bags finally made it out of the house and into my waiting jeep.

"You behave for your grandparents." Mikey was telling the teens in his best fake mommy voice as he shook a finger at them. "I don't want to hear about you tearing up the town down there."

Dennis just rolled his eyes. "Oh please..."

Amy was just finishing giving Leo a hug. "Don't forget to train." He told her as he held her. "Don't feel like whipping you back into shape when you get back."

"I won't." She replied before hugging Lavi who had just walked up. "Gonna miss you little squirt."

"I am not a squirt!" She said back to her and my older daughter laughed.

Once the mandatory tell everyone bye round had been completed, I slipped behind the wheel of my Jeep and fired it up. Beginning a long day of driving for me, I pulled out of my driveway and onto the road and the house quickly was lost behind us as we headed to the airport.

The drive took about three hours, but it was a pleasant three hours. I didn't get to spend much time with these two alone anymore, and I was enjoying their company. We talked, laughed and sang along to the songs on the radio as we made the long trip fun. Stupid jokes were told as well as the "Hey, you remember when Mikey did this?" stories. We stopped for lunch and laughed so hard our drinks were snorted up out of our noses. Ever had soda go up your nose? Burns a little. We had all kinds of folks staring at us like we were crazy, but we didn't care. I wasn't going to see them the whole summer so I was determined to ham it up with them while I still could.

With a heavy heart I finally pulled into the parking area of the airport, it was one of those where you had to catch a shuttle bus to take you to the terminal, and looked somewhat in dismay at all the crap in the back of my Jeep. This was going to be fun getting all of this crud to the check in terminal. I sighed as I pulled the first bag out.

Somehow we managed to get all the bags checked in besides their carry ons and we still had some time to kill before they had to tackle the security to get to the gates so we wandered the airport a bit. Walking around and laughing at the various airport stupidity you always seem to come across.

That last little bit of time seemed to go by way to fast for my liking and I found myself giving them hugs in front of the security area. I really wished things could be like back in a day when you could wait at the terminal with your family, but I had to settle for this. "I love you." I told them as I held them close. "Have fun and remember-"

"Don't tell Memaw and Pawpaw about the turtles." They chimed together. Not the first time we've been through this.

I stood there a little lost as I watched them navigate the security lines before they disappeared from my sight. Finally with a sigh, I turned and left. The drive home was long, and very quiet. They just left and I missed them already. I tried to sing along with the radio as we did on the way out here, but it wasn't the same so I just ended up turning the music off and drove in silence.

I was tired and still a bit quiet as I finally pulled into the driveway of my home. I had just turned the Jeep off when the door opened and Leo took my hand to help me out. "Rough drive?" He reached back in to grab my purse for me before he closed the door.

"Not really, just a long one." I replied as we began to walk towards the house. I sighed again as I realised that I still had two other kids to feed. "I guess I better get supper started." I said as we entered the house and I turned towards the kitchen, and stopped.

Supper had already been made, for two, and was placed on the dining table that had a table cloth and a single lit candle. "Mikey already took care of it." Leo told me as I felt his arms snake around my waist from behind. "You've had a busy enough day, I think it's time you relaxed a little." Well, now...I certainly wasn't going to argue with that, not when he was nuzzling my neck anyway. I knew he knew he had me when he pulled back and led me to the table, then held the chair for me as I sat down. Lord, he had even scrounged up some wine for christ's sake...

"What brought all this on?" I asked him as he sat across from me.

"You deserve it." Was his simple answer. "And when you are done eating I think there might be a bubble bath with your name on it."

Oooooh a bubble bath sounded just...heavenly. "I love you." I told him with a smile and he winked at me.

We talked quietly as we ate the simple meal I soon found out Leo had made himself. He could cook, just didn't do it often, mainly because Mikey had a bad habit of trying to stick his beak in and offer helpful advice while Leo was trying, as he was dumping his own ingredients in. I found out after a few of those attempts that Leo could wield cooking spoons with the same deadly precision he wielded his katanas. Never seen someone get smacked with those wooden spoons so fast numerous times in rapid succession.

Then I spent about an hour immersed up to my eyeballs in soap suds as I relaxed in the warm water. The stiffness from the long drive slowly draining out of me as I laid there, eyes closed, in my private little heaven. I finally forced myself out when the water went from almost hot to slightly chilly and the bubbles had all long since popped down to a soap mush. I reluctantly drug myself out of the water and wrapped my bathrobe around me as I wandered into my room, and was quickly ambushed by the ninja master waiting for me. I suddenly found myself in his strong, well muscled arms with his head lowered, once again kissing my neck, and this time there was no supper to pull his attention away. I still missed my kids, but here was a being who would make them being gone a bit more bearable for me. I had a feeling he was going to make sure I didn't have time to miss them too much. As he laid me down onto the bed, I found myself not really minding that at all. The only interruption was the quick phone call I got from Ellen to tell me that they had all made it home safe, then I was all his.


	2. Chapter 2

Dennis hit the ground hard, then rolled out of the way as Amy's leg came down. He blocked her arm with his as he got back to a kneeling position and grabbed that arm, pulling her over his shoulder until she hit the ground next to where he just landed. "Ow." She muttered as she rubbed her backside. "Seriously, if we are going to keep this up all summer, we really need to explain to Pawpaw on why we need training mats."

"You know we can't Amy." Dennis told her as he helped her to her feet. "They have no idea what we've been doing, and we have to keep it quiet or it's going to lead to questions we really can't answer."

She sighed. "I know. But still, been down here for two weeks and my backside is starting to really hate his backyard."

"Well," He grinned back at her "stop letting me toss you around then."

"Oh you smartass! You are so dead." Amy lowered herself into a ready stance.

"Bring it." He matched her pose.

They exchanged a few blows with each other. Being very careful about not leaving too many bruises where there grandparents could see them. As it was they had to do this either when they weren't home, like now, or late at night when they were sleeping so they wouldn't get caught. They just couldn't take the risk, but both fully intended to train. They had been doing it so long that it was a part of who they are.

Amy had just blocked a high kick with her arm when they heard the vehicle roll up in the driveway in front of the house. "That went quicker than expected." She muttered as her brother lowered his leg. "Thought they would be gone all afternoon."

Dennis just shrugged. "Maybe they bought out the store quicker than planned." Amy let a small snicker go at that one. They both loved their grandparents, but they did have a habit of coming home with too much crap sometimes. Especially if Pawpaw found a good sale going. She was fully ready to spend the next hour or so helping in the kitchen cutting, sorting, bagging and freezing meat.

They walked into the house through the backdoor and rounded the corner to the main entrance hall just as there was a knock at the door. They probably had their hands full. Dennis shook his head, was it really that hard to put bags down to open the door? He reached out and opened the door, but it wasn't his grandparents that he found standing there. Eyes that looked like his own met him, growing wide in a face that was an older version of his. Amy looked a lot like their mother with her brown eyes and heart shaped face, but they both had the same light brown hair as the man in front of them. A man they hadn't seen in years, but they both knew who he was.

"Dad?"

.

.

Amy was furious, and she wasn't the only one. She leaned on the wall of the kitchen, her arms crossed, her eyes flashing, a habit she picked up from the being she considered her father, not this walking dungheap Pawpaw was ripping into in the living room. The man always did have a quick temper but had learned to control it over the years. The kids knew he didn't mean to snap at them those few times he did, mainly because they pushed him to that point, so they took the words he said in and ignored the tone they came in. And honestly, when you've lived with Raph as long as they have, this was actually a pretty mild explosion.

Right now their dad didn't have that luxury of that experience as he got an earful about showing up on Pawpaw's doorstep without letting him know, then had the nerve to ask him for money. She knew she wasn't supposed to hear the conversation but heard just enough to get the jist of it. Seems like the deadbeat hadn't changed at all. And from the way things were sounding, he wasn't getting it from Pawpaw either. Good.

"You ok hon?" Memaw asked her from where she was unloading the dishwasher, keeping a watchful eye on the not exactly mild tempered teen herself. Amy had always been to quickest one to anger of the two and everybody knew it, because they have all seen it.

"Fine." She replied shortly, trying not to snap at her grandmother.

Dennis was sitting in a chair, looking thoughtfully out the kitchen window, in a spot where he could tackle his sister if she did loose her cool and decide to go over there to whack the snot out of their father. Because she was well trained enough to whack the hell out of him if she was too angry. He was actually a bit afraid of that honestly. This was something that none of them had really actually considered happening, him showing up like this. Not that it wasn't a possibility, just never thought he'd be able to scrape enough money together to do it.

He felt the same way as his sister did, anger. Anger at the man who walked out on them. But he just controlled it better, and he actually wanted to keep this as civil as he could, for his grandmother. He wasn't about to cause a bigger scene than what was already going on.

"I'm sorry, son!" Pawpaw's angry voice rang out. "I just can't do it! I didn't spend my life building everything I worked hard for to throw it all to hell to try and dig you out of the hole you dug yourself into! It's time you learned to take responsibilities for the shit you do and this is a good wake up call. You figure out how to pay them back on your own!"

Even from where Dennis was sitting he could see his sister roll her eyes from where she stood across the room.

There were a few quiet words exchanged after that, and Dad walked out of the living room, and into the kitchen. Amy's cool gaze met his as he stopped and looked at her, then at Dennis who's eyes weren't much warmer. "Hey...you've gotten big since the last time I saw you." He hesitantly started the conversation.

"You don't say..." Amy came back sarcastically. "Learned my alphabet too, and I can count to a hundred. Was having trouble with that on your last visit if I remember right."

"Amy, that's no way to talk to your father!" He snapped back at her and her eyes flashed.

"Shit..." Dennis mumbled as he got to his feet, but he wasn't quick enough.

"Father?" She started as she stalked in on him. "Like _you_ would know! You left _us_! Never wanted to see us! Can't even send a goddamn birthday card and you still have the nerve to try and make me see you as a _father_?! I've got a father and he sure as hell isn't _you!_ "

Dennis quickly grabbed her and pulled her back. "Watch it!" He hissed quietly at her. "I know you're mad, but are you really mad enough to spill the beans and risk everything?"

She got herself under control with an enormous amount of effort. "Sorry." She whispered back.

Dad just stood there, looking unsure at what his daughter just snapped at him. Pawpaw stood there looking at his son, eyebrow raised. "Seems to me like you have a few holes to dig yourself out of." Memaw was looking at him with more than a little disappointment.

Overall, the mood had definitely shifted against him. "Maybe...maybe I should just go." Dad quietly said as he turned to leave the kitchen.

"Go ahead." Amy snapped at him and Dennis groaned. "It's what you are good at anyway. Maybe the next time I see you I'll be married and have kids of my own." Her brother quickly slapped his hand over her mouth and she came real close to biting it. It was at that point that he drug her outside to get her away from him, she was just too upset and he was honestly scared she'd start revealing exactly what went on in their home, by using Dad as a punching bag.

He plopped her down into one of the chairs on the back patio. "You need a time out." He mumbled to her.

"I need to smash his teeth in, is what I need to do." She replied as she crossed her arms.

He just sighed as he sat next to her in the other chair. "Now we know which one of us has the Raph temperament."

She just grunted, proving his point.

He stayed out there with her for awhile, talking about anything but what just happened. The late setting summer sun was starting to set before Memaw came out to join them. She sat in her favorite rocker and began to quietly rock as she watched the brooding teen sitting in the chair, her arms still crossed. "Gonna do a shrimp and sausage jambalaya tomorrow."

Instantly Amy's mood brightened. "Oh yum! I've been waiting forever to have some!" That was the one dish Mikey really couldn't cook like her Memaw could. Or anything cajun really. He did try, just for them, a few times, but never could get it the way she made it.

The rest of the evening was spent with them planning meals that they really wanted to eat and Pawpaw came out and added his grilling expertise to the menu. If this kept up Leo was going to have to work about fifty pounds off of the teens when they got back home.

Then the conversation shifted to the two women talking about blankets and Amy managed to get her to promise to make her another one, with a color scheme that made Dennis smile. Seems like blue, orange, purple and red were gonna come prominently into play on that one.

Dennis could tell that there was something Memaw was wanting to ask, but she didn't. She did keep watching them, her eyes thoughtful, most of the evening. Dennis thought he knew what it might be, considering Amy's earlier outburst, but he wasn't going to bring it up either. Her curiosity was just going to have to remain that, curiosity.

It was almost midnight when they decided to all call it a night and they all went inside. Dennis had just settled down in the bed when he heard a commotion coming from the front of the house, what sounded like the front door being kicked open and his grandmother let out a terrified shriek from the kitchen.

He shot out of his bed in an instant as he heard his grandfather shouting and yellin and plowed into the hallway just as Amy came barreling out of her room. They had just an instant to take in the two black clad figures who wore facemasks, coming down the hallway towards them.

Dennis didn't even think as he brought his leg up and around, taking out the first one as Amy came in under that leg and tackled the next one, giving him a few quick punches to the head, before she quickly rolled to her feet and dashed into the kitchen with Dennis right on her heels. Memaw was standing at the far end, coming out of the laundry room from where she had been apparently trying to finish up some laundry. Pawpaw was close to her, by the fridge and had placed himself between her and the rest of the men who filled the room. Dennis and Amy slammed into the backside of that, furious at the intruders both somehow knew weren't the local swat team.

As quick as they were, they weren't quick enough as a gun pointed to their grandparents. "That's just about enough of that!" A voice snapped from behind that gun. Dennis and Amy stopped their attack, her eyes flashing and he taking the situation calmly in. Their grandparents were looking at them in shock at what they just saw before the man snapped them out of it. "Now, that we have everything calmed down," he grabbed Memaw's arm as he looked at Pawpaw "it seems your son owes some money but refuses to pay up. So we are going to take her to make sure he does."

"He doesn't have it." Pawpaw desperately tried to explain to them."

"Well, he better find it." Came the reply as he jerked her away from him.

Dennis and Amy quickly looked at each other, refusing to let them take her. Both nodded as the same idea crossed their minds. "Take us instead." Dennis told them as he stepped forward.

"Why should I?" The man's eyes narrowed behind his mask.

"Because we are his children." Amy answered him. "You will get two for the price of one hostage and ones in better health. A hostage won't do you any good if you kill her by giving her a heart attack."

His eyes narrowed more as he thought it over, then he nodded and pushed Memaw back into Pawpaw's arms. Pawpaw was of course protesting that choice until Dennis met his eyes. "Pawpaw, it's ok. It'll be ok." Dennis told him as he was grabbed and his hands swiftly tied up. "Call Mom."

"No one gets called!" The man sneered.

Dennis thought quickly now. "Trust me. She can deal with this a lot better than Dad or my grandparents can." He saw Pawpaw's obvious confusion, he knew she wasn't well off and Dennis directed the meaning of the words to him, but the words them self to the man holding the gun. "Mom has ways of getting us out of this mess."

"You're sure?"

"I promise you, she'll be able to get you _exactly_ what you are due." But he didn't tell them what that due was, he'd let them find that part out on their own.

"Fine, call the wench. But no one else, or these two are going to be feeding the gators in the bayou, understood?"

Their grandparents could only nod in horrified confusion as Dennis and Amy were roughly dragged from the room and out of the house. Dennis did what he could to save his grandparents, now the rest was in someone else's hands.


	3. Chapter 3

I was breathing heavily as I laid there, my body covered in sweat and the last few tingles of release slowly ebbing out of me as Leo hovered over me, pressing soft kisses against my skin before he laid himself on his stomach, leaning slightly on me as his arm crossed over my body, his thumb gently gliding on my sweat slicked side, head propped up in his other hand.

"You, my dear Leo, have been quite frisky lately." I told him when I finally recovered enough to talk.

"Blame it on the time of year." He smiled gently back at me.

"Spring fever hitting a bit late?"

"Or mating season if you want to put it that way."

"Oh please, you expect me to believe that you are running on an instinct so basic when everything else in you has evolved due to the mutagen?" I glared at him. "That's like me saying I'm horney because my ancestors were apes."

For some reason that made him laugh uncontrollably and he rolled off of me he was laughing so hard. "Ok, you got me." He replied when he finally calmed down. "The things that come out of your mouth though, sometimes I wonder about you." He propped himself up into a leaning position against the wall. I had noticed that he did that a lot over the years. The best reason I could come up for him doing it was because his shell got in the way of him lying flat. He could lay that way, but he needed a lot of pillows to support his head. He much rather preferred to sleep on his side or his stomach to be honest with you. I didn't mind this quirk, because it let me get into some of my own comfortable positions with him.

I lifted myself up, leaned over and draped myself over his chest, resting my head on my crossed arms as I looked at him. "Never said I was normal. I wonder about myself a lot sometimes."

"I'm glad you aren't normal." He grinned back. "Then you wouldn't be you." He brought his arms around me and his fingers began to gently massage my back.

I closed my eyes at the feeling and let out a very content moan. "That feels nice..."

"It was meant to feel nice. I noticed you were a bit stiff earlier."

"I wasn't the only one." I grinned impishly at him and he laughed again.

"Think Donnie hit you a bit harder than he meant to during training today. I couldn't help but notice its been bothering you."

"I wonder why?" I asked him archly.

"Probably because I felt it." He replied without missing a beat.

I just sighed and closed my eyes again as he kept working the sore muscles in my back. It felt good, and I honestly enjoyed these quiet moments with him. As much as I loved our family, I cherished these small moments of alone time because it gave us time to bond, both mentally and physically. Gave us the chance to not be the saviors of New York, but a married couple. It was these moments that pushed the hectic away and let normal fill it's place, even if it was only for a short while. They gave us a chance to put us first.

I settled down a bit more against his large frame. I still felt so tiny next to him sometimes, and this was one of those times as I laid on his chest with his well muscled arms around me, his large hands softly working the kinks out of my back. I didn't even realise it when those large, gentle hands slowly pushed me towards sleep.

I was still resting on top of him when my cell phone jolted me back awake. "Are you kidding me?" I mumbled as I got up to reach over to the nightstand to get it, noticing it was almost one in the morning. "Fuuuuck..." Leo just chuckled at my bad mood. I was so nice and comfy and had to get up.

I quickly lost my bad temper when I saw who was calling me, Ellen. As soon as I saw that, worry started to eat at me, she wouldn't call this late for no reason. I quickly answered it. "Ellen?" My heart dropped at the sounds of her obviously crying.

"V-vicky..." She stuttered out, not really helping my anxiety any. "Vicky...the...the k-kids..."

"Ellen!" I told her more sharply than I had intended to over the phone. "Calm down! What happened? What's wrong?"

She took a deep, shaky breath. "Vicky, some men...some men came and took the kids..."

"What?" I asked, my mind struggling to process what my ears just heard. Leo was sitting up in a heartbeat behind me, but remained quiet in the back ground.

"They said David owed them money..and...and...wanted to take me to make sure he paid, but they took the kids instead...Vicky they told me to not to call the authorities...I don't know what to do..."

I just sat there in shock, not wanting to believe what I just heard, not hearing Ellen's voice on the other end as she tried to get me to talk to her, finally tears of worry spilled down my cheeks. It was that calm, firm hand that turned me to face him that snapped me out of it. His eyes were narrowed in anger and his jaw was clenched. He looked me in the eye then, not having to say what he meant, I understood exactly what was going through his head just then as he nodded his head towards the phone. With his support, I quickly gathered myself together as he swiftly stood up dressed himself, and strode out of the room. "Ellen," I told her, once again in control of my emotions "do as they say, don't go to the police."

"But I just can't let them take the kids, I have to do something!"

"You will. You will sit there and wait until I get down there. Don't do anything that might bring harm to them. We will talk more when I get there, ok?"

"Are you going to need someone to pick you up from the airport?"

"No Ellen, I won't be flying down, I'll be driving and I'll be bringing some friends with me."

.

.

"You said _what_!" Exploded across the lair as I stepped out of the lab, my hand clutching my robe tightly in front of me, not because I was holding closed, but because I had nothing else to hold on to and I needed something.

Raph stormed out of his room so hard his door cracked down the middle after it slammed against the wall. Leo came out right behind him. "Please don't tell me you meant what you just told me!"

"Every word of it." Leo replied as he moved to Donnie's room next, knocked, and went in.

Raph just slammed Mikey's in, using his foot. "Get your lazy ass up!" He roared into the room and that was followed by the sounds of someone falling out of bed.

"Easy there big guy." Cris told him as she came out of the room, wrapping her own robe closed. "We still have children trying to sleep, break shit _after_ you get outside." Even though her voice was calm, she had the same anger in her that Raph was showing everybody.

"Whazzup?" An obviously sleepy and confused Mikey asked as he walked out of his room and Caitlin poked her head out the doorway. "Gotta go topside?"

"No." Leo said sternly as he came out of Donnie's room, with the genius following behind and Marina following him. "We are not going into the city."

"Then what's wrong?" Caitlin asked confused as Mikey yawned.

"Something happened to Dennis and Amy. They were taken, and we are going to get them back."

Mikey's mouth snapped back shut so fast I heard his teeth click. Then he began cursing because he bit his tongue.

"Gather up everything you will need for an extended trip." Leo told them, his tone flinty. "Donnie, secure the lair. I don't want anyone coming within a mile of this place while we are gone. Blow the damn tunnels if you have too. Caitlin, as soon as the kids wake up, take them across the portal and leave them there. If you hear whatever commotion that sets off Donnie's precautions shut the portal down on the other side. I'll leave it open for now because I know there are things here you need for them. Raph, call Casey, tell him to get his ass here yesterday. Mikey and Marina get your hands on some maps and find me the quickest way down there. Cris, you will find us a way to _get_ down there while I talk to Vicky's family so they can help Caitlin while we are gone. Once everything is set up, we are leaving. Any questions?" No one had any. "Then get your asses in gear. I want us on the road as soon as we are able." And with that they all scrambled in different directions.

I just stood there, quietly watching, unable to really do anything else as they all began hustling around the lair like busy worker bees. I just stood there not really thinking, my mind blank. I just stood there with my eyes wide and moisture building up in them. I didn't know what else to do.

Leo walked over towards me when he caught sight of my dazed state, my hand still clutching my robe tightly, so tight my knuckles were white as I uncomprehendingly looked up at him. How could this happen in _my_ world? Shit like that only happens here, or in movies. It wasn't supposed to happen in the world I had always thought was normal. It was like some bad story line to some cheesy movie, it just didn't seem real. This didn't happen here, did it? It couldn't happen because it just made no sense. Do people in my world even do that? Kidnap family members to pay large debts owed? I've never heard of one of those kinds of plans, much less of one working. Where did they think we could get the money from? Not like in the movies where you could just go to the bank and get it, real life didn't work that way. How were they able to hire these thugs without the FBI or someone catching on? Where did they even _find_ these guys? When did my world turn into the crazy world of ludicrous schemes? And why in the hell did my kids have to get dragged into it? It just made no sense to me! I just stood in that frozen shock as he pulled me to him, my head resting numbly on his chest as I still clutched my robe, staring off into nothing. I just wanted my kids... And with that thought I snapped out of my daze and began to cry.

"We'll get them back dear one. In my world or your world, it doesn't matter. It happened and we _will_ get them back." His now calm voice reached my ears. "And I swear to god we will make who ever did this regret the fact that they did." He finished. I didn't have to look up to know those fires were burning in his eyes. Once those were lit, someone was going to get hurt. I took a fair amount of comfort in that fact because I knew that by the time he was done, it wouldn't be Dennis and Amy needing the doctor. My ex might need one though by the time I got done with him.


	4. Chapter 4

"You have _got_ to be kidding me!" Raph snapped as he came out of the house early the next morning. Cris and Casey had just pulled up with the vehicles. Cris parked my Jeep and Casey hopped out of the vehicle they got. "A U-Haul? You go and get a fucking _U-Haul_?"

"It's not like I could go and get an RV!" She snapped back. "Just be lucky it's big enough to hold your big ass, almost ended up getting a pull behind trailer!"

He stomped back into the house, mumbling under his breath.

Donnie watched in amusement as his older brother seemed less that pleased with their current mode of transportation. "If this keeps up, I might have to build a turtle van for over here."

"It's fine." Leo told an exasperated Cris as she still glared at the door. "Let's get loaded up."

We all loaded up clothes in my Jeep and the more, shall I say warlike?, belongings in the back of the U-Haul. Then I went back inside and gathered all the blankets I could get my hands on, not to mention the pillows.

"What are you doing?" Leo came in as I got done dropping the last few pillows on the living room floor.

"No need to make it uncomfortable for you guys." I told him quietly, still not over the shock of what happened. "At least you'll have something soft to sit on." I leaned over and grabbed a big pile of the stuff and made my way to the door with it, but stopped when Leo wrapped an arm around me. "It'll be ok." He told me softly again before kissing my hair. I just nodded as he went to get another pile.

We stepped out side to see Donnie rigging up one of my Dad's old window unit ACs. He caught my questioning look. "Gonna get hot back there. Won't do much good if we all die of heat stroke before we even get there."

I just nodded again and placed the items I was carrying into the back of the U-haul. Then quietly watched as Donnie carefully removed a section of the side, secured the AC into that hole he made and rigged up some kind of battery pack to plug it into, then rigged up a solar panel to the top to keep it charged. I had to admit, Donnie was definitely the right turtle to bring along for unexpected crap. He'd find a way to make it bearable.

Leo didn't mind this delay, but when Mikey came out with a TV and videogames he put his foot down. "No."

"But Leo, Ima get so booored!"

"No!" Leo snapped back. "We've wasted too much time already!"

This time it was Mikey who went stomping back into the house mumbling under his breath.

Once everything had been loaded up, we loaded up. Casey pulled the door down to the back of the moving van before he jogged around and hopped into the driver's seat and Marina pulled herself into the passenger one. Cris and I took my Jeep, but I let her drive. I was still a little numb over it all.

We rode in silence, with the radio quietly playing as we led the van over the roads, then finally to the interstate. I just let the scenery slip by unseen as I thought, and worried. Cris was worried herself, but giving me the space I needed to come to terms with it all.

I looked over the familiar landscape as we went. How many times had they cried out "Mommy! Look it! I see cow!" when they were little? The slug bug contests, the "Mom! He is on my side of the seat!" and endless games of I spy all took their turns in my memories. "She's touching me!" "He keeps staring at me!" "Am not!" "Are too!" "Nuh uh!" "Uh huh!" all replayed in my head. There were times when they drove me nuts on road trips, now I'd give anything to hear it again. I wanted them back... Please, God, let them be ok...

I took in a deep shuddering breath and looked away from the window as Cris drove on. She kinda gave me a concerned look out of the corner of her eye for a moment. "Which exit do I need to take to start heading south?" She asked then. I couldn't remember myself, so I pulled out the map Marina and Mikey had worked on. She was the one who traced it out, Mikey's job was to hold the map, otherwise he would have draw stick figures on it or something.

"Still have a bit to go." I told her as I looked it over.

Suddenly she grinned. "I wonder if Raph is ready to kill Mikey yet."

I checked the bond, and felt annoyance come back at me and I chuckled a little. "I don't know, but Leo is starting to get a little annoyed."

"Maybe we should have had Donnie tranq those two."

I laughed. "I bet by the time we get there he'll wish that he did."

She kept me talking, kept my mind off of what happened, and kept me from worrying to much. I still did, but I didn't fall into that shocked, depression like, silence again.

We had covered quite a distance when we pulled over for gas and I stepped inside while Cris and Casey filled up. Bought sandwiches, some drinks and a few other things, enough to where I put a huge dent in what they had in stock, and carried it all back out, in numerous bags, before walking to the back of the U-Haul. Quickly looking around to make sure no one was paying me too much attention, I opened the back just a bit, and slipped the bags in.

"Finally!" Mikey hooped as one of the bags was snatched, almost taking my hand with it, then got smacked with a "Shh!" "Ow, jeez, sorry..." He mumbled. "I was just hungry is all."

"Thank you, dear one." Leo murmured as the rest were taken more gently from me before giving my hand a gentle squeeze. I returned it real quick before I pulled my arm out and closed the door back.

We loaded back up again and drove on, each turn of the tire bringing us nearer to our destination, each mile marker that zipped by was one less we had to pass. The farther we got from home, the more I let the confused worry state behind and a cam determination began to take over. The closer we got, the more I refocused my thoughts from how much I missed them and was scared for them, to we are going to have so much fun beating the crap out of these guys together once I did finally find them.

The sun made it's way slowly across the sky as the drive continued and when it had fully set we stopped one more time in a small, quiet rest stop where we were the only ones there. Again I walked to the back and opened the door, more wider this time. Mikey shot out of the damn thing before I had even finished opening it. "Bathroom!" Was the only explanation I got as he zipped by.

I smiled at his retreating back before I faced the other three as they came out, after more cautiously looking around. "Sorry guys, I would have let you out earlier to stretch your legs a bit, but it's hard to find rest stops where no one is there, especially in the daytime."

"Don't worry about it." Leo calmly told me. "This is your world, you know it better than we do, we'll follow your lead on how to travel here."

"But you might want to consider stocking up on diapers for the trip home if it's going to be the same way." Donnie mumbled as he passed us as he went towards the bathroom where Mikey had already disappeared.

"God damn it Casey!" Raph complained as he stretched. "Do you have to hit _every_ fucking pothole?"

"Yup." Came the answering grin.

Once the potty breaks had been taken care of, under the watchful eyes of the humans as we kept a look out for incoming travellers, we ate a quick supper in the back of the van with the guys, once again gas station food. They didn't complain, they knew we were trying to get there in a hurry and didn't want to waste the time to go buy stuff at the grocery store, then make our own food. This was where the convenience part came in real handy in convenience store.

"How much farther?" Mikey almost whined as we got ready to go again.

"Still a ways." I told him. "It's about an fourteen hour drive straight through, but we have to stop every so often for gas," I grinned at him "and bathroom breaks."

He just groaned and rolled his eyes.

This time I drove. I knew the area better because I actually lived down here for a short time after my ex and I got married. I shook my head at that thought. We had been so happy together once, now his ongoing stupidity was making me want to kill him.

The trip was quiet, even more so after Cris dropped off to sleep next to me and the calm quiet in my mind told me the turtles were all either sleeping or settled down. Nothing was going on besides the occasional headlights lighting up the opposite lanes. I led the van along in the late evening and into the early morning hours, each area we drove by becoming more and more familiar to me as I confidently led the way. Each town we drove by bringing me closer to where we needed to go. Closer to getting the answers to questions that had plagued me the entire trip.

Finally I found the exit I needed and guided the Jeep off of the freeway and onto the town roads, the van following me as I navigated through the town. Memories came flooding back to me as I passed certain areas. I used to work there, that place had good shrimp, that Wal-mart really sucked, kids loved that movie theatre...

My in-law's sub division came up then and I turned again, driving down neighborhood streets I've driven through many times before, that tired feeling starting to hit me that usually happens at the tail end of a long drive. With a last left turn their house came into view, and their porch light was already on, waiting for me, calling to me as if it wanted to tell me what had gone on in here the night before.

I pulled into the driveway as Casey gently guided the van to a halt along the curb and I slowly got out, pausing a moment with my hand on the car door as I carefully looked around. No one was out, but that didn't mean no one was watching. Cris was just waking up and I leaned in to look at her. "Make sure they stay out of sight until I get back." I told her quietly and she nodded sleepily.

That simple walk up their path to their front door was the hardest walk I ever had to take. Expecting my kids to be on the other side of that door, but knowing they weren't. I swallowed hard as I fought the urge to break out in tears again. The door had been damaged I noticed as I raised my hand to knock, and Peter had obviously repaired it enough to where it would close but he was going to need a new door. Something else I was going to cover the cost of by taking it out of David's hide.

My knock was a quiet one, but I knew it would be heard, knew they would be up. After a few moments Ellen carefully opened the door, with Peter standing behind her with a baseball bat just incase, and I looked at the woman in front of me who had obviously been crying. "Oh Vicky!" She wailed as she threw herself into my arms.

"I'm here, Ellen." I told her as I tried to keep from losing it myself, returning her hug that we both needed right then. "I'm here and I will deal with it now."


	5. Chapter 5

Even as tired as I was, sleep wasn't possible right now, I still had too much to do and trying to figure out what exactly happened was the number one priority on my list at the moment.

We were on the back porch, a place that was used more than the living room really. It was surrounded by the house walls on two sides and the high pitched roof extended out and covered the top, pillars were spaced out along the other two sides supporting it up. A TV was mounted on the wall that was hooked up into an elaborate sound system. A strand of Christmas lights mounted along the edges of the roof ceiling illuminated the area with a soft glow. There was even a small fridge out here that held water or a few sodas. We've spent so many times out here, watching movies in the cool night breezes or just sitting in the various chairs and swings, talking. The kids loved it here and so did I. Any other night I would enjoy this, but tonight wasn't like any other night.

"What happened?" I asked Peter after I guided Ellen out here and sat her down in her rocking chair.

"David came by earlier yesterday." He started in a grim tone. "Didn't even know he was in town. He came asking for money but I cut him off before he could tell me what he needed it for. All he did tell me was that he owed some money. I just assumed he was about to get sued for not paying a hospital bill or something." He sat heavily in another chair with a sigh. "Then, last night these men broke into the house. I guess they are the ones he owes money to because they mentioned it. They were going to take Ellen as payment insurance but Dennis convinced them to take him and Amy instead."

"How much are we talking about?"

"I don't know, they didn't say. Just told me not to call the police..." He didn't have to finish that thought, I've watched enough movies to understand the threat that was placed.

"Have you heard from them since?"

"No, I guess they are giving us time to come up with the money."

"More like they are waiting for him to stick his neck out." I replied darkly. "They want him to pay. Just not sure how they want him to do it." I let my own sigh come out as I rubbed my eyes. "Damn you David." I muttered as I leaned against one of the pillars. "What about him, have you heard from David since he was here?"

"No, and I've been to scared to call him." Ellen spoke up. "They almost wouldn't let us call you, until Dennis convinced them that you could come up with something better than he could."

Well, he was right about that. I came up with something, just not what they were all expecting. "Ok, then I guess I need to find him first." I told them. "Find out _exactly_ what is going on."

"Vicky, are you sure you don't want us to call the authorities?" Peter asked me then. "I know you don't have the money..."

I sighed again as I thought about how to answer this, I knew the question would come eventually. "Positive. I have something else planned. And in the long run it's safer than risking the kids in a risky police standoff."

"Would you mind telling us what?"

It hung there between us and I so much wanted to tell them, but wasn't sure if that in itself would be a good idea. "Peter, I'm sorry, you're just going to have to trust-" there was a loud rattling sound that came from the roof as something large slid down the steep slope, then Mikey appeared as he fell over the edge and hit the ground hard on his stomach "me." I finished with a defeated sigh as I glared at the youngest brother.

"Mikey you fucking moron!" Raph hissed from the roof.

"Cris!" I snapped out.

"What?" Her voice came from the roof too. I facepalmed.

"I thought I told you to keep them hidden!"

" _You_ try keeping four overgrown idiots hidden when they don't want to be hid!" She snapped back.

Ellen looked like she was going to faint and Peter had that baseball bat in his hands again and he was about to clobber Mikey with it. I quickly placed my hand on the bat before he could even begin the swing. "Peter! Don't!"

"What the hell is that thing!" He pulled real hard on the bat to get it out of my hands, he really wanted to clobber Mikey. Shit... _I_ wanted to clobber Mikey with it at that point.

"Peter, please stop! He's with me!" I told him as I pulled the bat out of his hands. "It's ok, he's fine."

By now the turtle in question had sat up and was looking a bit sheepishly at me. "Sorry. I slipped."

"What a surprise...you dipshit." I replied. Peter and Ellen were looking from me to Mikey and back at me again.

"That's it, Vicky I love you, but this has gone far enough." Peter told me. "I'm calling the cops." He turned towards the door to storm inside and found his way blocked by a large being who had hidden in the shadow of the corner the door was found in.

Leo was leaning against the door, arms crossed, calmly watching what was going on. His blue eyes met Peter's, whose mouth had just dropped open. Wasn't sure if it was because he was almost face to face with a large turtle, or because that turtle had managed to sneak around him without him knowing. "That won't be necessary."

Peter stumbled back a few steps and I caught him before he fell over. "They won't hurt you." I told him and Ellen who still looked like she hadn't decided if she wanted to faint or not. "I told you I was bringing some friends, these are two of them."

"How can these...things...help!" Peter was beyond confused and frustrated by this point.

"Please," Leo began quietly, but still managing to cut off Peter's tirade "as Vicky said we mean you and your wife no harm. We are here for the children because they mean more to us than you can understand right now."

"Peter..." Ellen said then as she took a good hard look at Leo.

"What!" He snapped at her, obviously still having a hard time taking in what Leo just told him.

"I believe him." She said quietly as she got up out of her chair. "Can you step out of the shadows for a moment for me please?" She asked him and Leo obliged, moving more into the soft light. She took in his shell, katanas and even the blue mask. Then gave Mikey the same treatment who was wisely standing quietly out in the yard still. "Ninja Turtles..." She whispered breathlessly.

"What?" This time Peter just sounded confused.

"Ninja turtles." She said again. "David used to watch them, and Vicky took the kids to go see the movies of them when they were little, because _she_ used to watch them."

"Are you telling me I'm looking at a car _toon_."

"No." I told him. "You are looking at the real thing."

"But they aren't real!"

"Tell that to him." I pointed at Leo.

"I need a drink." He muttered turning towards the door again, then remembering the way was blocked. Leo didn't move _that_ much from the door.

"And another baseball bat." I said as I tossed the one he had to the side.

"That too."

I studied the man, he obviously wasn't taking to this well. Ellen at least seemed to be ok...for the most part. I reached down the front of my shirt and pulled out the small chain I wore, that had my ring on it. I always wore that ring, but had to hide it from them to avoid certain...questions. "Peter, I want to show you something." I told him quietly and he turned to look at me, and the ring I had taken off of my chain. I held it on the flat of my palm for a moment so he could get a good look at it. "Leo gave this to me." I said, again in that same tone, then slipped the ring onto the finger it was supposed to be on. He looked at that before it started to dawn on him. "Leo, come here." My ninja again obliged, even reading what I was doing enough to pull his gear away from the matching band he wore. I took his arm and held it closer to Peter, and Ellen who had by now walked over, and placed my hand next to it so they could see that it was a matching set. It fully hit them then and they looked at us, stunned. "Peter, I promise you, he won't do anything to hurt you and he really is here to help me find the kids. Because he pretty much helped me raise them."

"Are you...are you two..." Ellen couldn't quite get the question out it seemed, but Leo answered it anyway, by wrapping his arm around me and pulling me against his side. "Well, I guess that answers that..."

"Are you guys about done down here now?" Cris asked suddenly from behind my in-laws, making them both jump again. "I'm not sure how much longer the roof will hold Raph's big ass up." She didn't even bother to apologize for scaring them.

"I heard that." Came from the roof.

"You were meant too." She shot right back at him.

"Who are you?" Peter asked her. "And who is on my roof?"

"Brace yourself." I sighed to him before I called up. "You might as well come down. Secret is already shot to shit."

A few moments later shadows started dropping down, lightly landing on the ground, besides Casey who fell with a thunk and a rattle on his ass. Raph landed next to Mikey and promptly whacked him. "Idiot."

Marina just rolled her eyes and stepped forward. "Our apologies for you having to find out about us this way, one of these days we'll learn to superglue Mikey's feet to shit."

"Not to mention his mouth shut." Cris muttered.

Marina ignored that. "My name is Marina, and this brat here is Cris." Cris stuck her tongue out at Marina. "The one playing Jason back there with the hockey mask is Casey."

"Do I really need to introduce you to the others?" I asked my in-laws with a small smile.

Ellen actually smiled. "Let me see if I remember. Leonardo, Mikey, Don and Ralph."

Cris and I cracked up on the last one as Raph's eyes went flat. "It's Raph, Ellen, not Ralph."

She shrugged. "I was close."

Leo had remained quiet, but still watched Peter. I didn't have to use the bond to feel his unease. Peter was looking right back at him, still not quite sure if his facial expression was anything to go by.

"Peter, you know I wouldn't bring them into this if I didn't trust them."

"You trust them enough to risk your kids safety to let them deal with this?"

"I would trust them with my own life." I firmly replied. "And have a few times. Besides, there's one thing you don't know."

"What on earth could there be left that you haven't told us about yet?"

I didn't answer right away, just walked over to the wood pile he kept at the edge of the porch for his fire pit. Following my unspoken request Leo followed me out into the yard and I handed him the chunk of wood. He held it in his hand, as high as he could and I squinted my eyes at it as I gauged the height of it. Then, after a quick look at my in-laws to make sure they were watching, I leapt up, spun myself around in the air and brought my foot around, nailing that piece of wood so hard it flew out of Leo's hand and smashed into the side of the house where it split from the force of the impact. I came back down on my feet and again looked at them. "I'm going to go with them."

"Holy..." Peter breathed. "Alright, we do it your way Vicky. Seems like I should have put more faith in the boy." He finished as I stepped back onto the porch.

"What?"

"He was insistent that you were the one we needed to call, now I see why." He sighed. "Do what you need too do, I won't call anyone else in."

"Thank you Peter."

"Just do me a favor would you?"

"And that would be?"

"Try not to beat up David too bad. I know he's fucked up, a lot, but he _is_ still my son." He grew quiet a moment as he thought. "But feel free to rough him up a little. I'd do it, but I'm not as trained as good as you are."

As serious as the situation was, I still laughed at that.


	6. Chapter 6

It took us a little juggling, but we figured out where to put everybody. The guest rooms were offered, but I declined those. Just walking in, seeing their things there but not them, it ...hurt... I just turned around, shaking my head no as Ellen and Leo watched quietly, both knowing why but neither knowing what to say.

Cris and Marina ended up taking those rooms, Casey slept on the couch while Donnie and Mikey took the camper that my in laws owned, because they were the smallest of the four and their weight wouldn't, hopefully, break the camper beds. Leo Raph and I slept in the back of the U-Haul. Both the U-Haul and camper had been brought into the backyard, easily accessible to the back door. Leo didn't want me to sleep out there with him, wanted me to sleep in a normal bed and was going to make Mikey sleep in the truck with them, but I didn't want to be that far from him, not now.

Not that sleep was even going to happen right now, we were all still up, the events still not letting us to settle down. Donnie had went right to work to find my wayward wandering ex, after he set up a major security upgrade. A door busting repeat of last night wasn't going to happen.

I was sitting in the dark kitchen, holding a cup of tea between my hands and staring down at it with tired, unseeing eyes when Donnie's "I found him!" rang across the house.

I was on my feet instantly. "Where?"

"He's checked into a motel in town."

I didn't ask how Donnie found him, didn't really care _how_ Donnie found him. The only thing I did was grab my car keys as they all gathered.

"Where are you going?" Cris asked.

"Me and him are going to have a little talk." I told her through clenched teeth. "Give me the adress to the motel." I told Donnie. "And his room number."

Leo's hand rested on my shoulder. "Maybe that's not such a good idea right now." He murmured as he took in my angry expression.

"We don't have the time to wait for me to calm down." I snapped back at him before I turned back to Donnie. "Address, now."

Donnie just sighed as he wrote it down then handed me the paper. I snatched it out of his hand and stormed out of the house. I got into the Jeep and pulled out before any of them could even try to bring up the words to try and stop me.

The drive there didn't take me long, but it did take me to the seedier part of town. Didn't phase me a bit as I drove through the night. We still had a few hours left before dawn and the town was actually very quiet.

I found the motel easily, one of those shoddy, run down, hey lets take a hooker here kinda places, and pulled up in front of the door that had the room number Donnie had given me. I got out, slammed my car door, and stormed up to the door, and stood there a long while, trying to collect my anger enough to where I could deal with this with a level head. Then I pounded on it.

The curtain twitched a little, like someone was looking out to see who in the hell was there this early in the morning, and I could tell by the dim lights on in the room that he was there before the sound of the door carefully unlocking met my ears. Then the door opened. "Vicky?"

For a moment I stared at the man I had once loved, looked into those hazel eyes that were so much like my son's. The firm lines of his face that I used to sigh over at night. The muscled arms, though not as well as Leo's, that used to hold me tight at night. The man that had, despite everything else that had gone wrong, given me two wonderful children. I looked into his confused eyes...then knocked his ass halfway across the room. "You stupid, idiotic, fucking _moron_!" I almost yelled as I stepped into the room, closing the door behind me. "Of all of the irresponsible, lamebrained, dimwitted shit you could have done, you do _this_ shit!"

"What the hell Vicky!" He stood back up and rubbed his cheek where I just nailed him. "What the fuck is wrong with you!"

"You know damn well what is!" I flared back.

"What, you mad because I happened to see the children? You don't want me to see my own kids?"

I just stared at him, could he really be this fucking stupid? "David, I never denied you that, you did it to yourself. But no, that's not why I'm here."

"Only reason I can think of for you to punch me." He muttered.

I just kept staring at him...you have got to be kidding me... "You don't know, do you?"

"I know I should call the cops because you just assaulted me." He smirked. "Should go ahead and just do that really." I narrowed my eyes at him, did he think this was some twisted game? Before I could stop him, he went to pick up the motel phone, but looked stunned when it apparently wasn't working.

"Why, you going to take me to court to sue me so you can pay back your debt?" I dropped on him and he looked at me with wide eyes. "Good luck with that, everything is still in Dad's name."

"H-how did you..."

"Because they took the kids you idiot!" I snapped placing my hands on my hips as I glared at him. "And you are going to help me _get them back_!"

His stunned eyes turned to fear and he collapsed on the bed. "I-I can't. If I don't show up with the money, they'll kill me."

"And what do you think will happen to them! Damn it David! For once think about someone else besides yourself!"

"I...can't..."

I was about to beat the shit out of him until the room went dark. Not even lights from outside came into the room. Someone had blacked out the whole complex. I was so angry that I missed a very important tattle earlier, but I noticed it now as anger other than my own came into my mind. Suddenly Leo brushed past me, went up to David, and lifted him up by the shirt he was wearing. I took a lot of satisfaction from his startled yelp. "You can and you will." Came Leo's grim tone. "Or I'll do much worse than kill you."

"Who are you!" David tried to take a swing at the arm holding him up, but Leo easily blocked that laughable attempt. It must have been terrifying to him, in a dark room being lifted up by someone he couldn't even see. I could see, but I had certain advantages that he didn't have.

"One who puts their safety before his own." Leo growled back. "I've watched quietly for years, watching what you put them through. And this is the last straw. You _will_ help and you _won't_ call the police. You may not have wanted this to happen, but it did and now we have to come and clean up _your_ mess. You are lucky she got to you first, I would have done more than punch you." I could see the fright in David's eyes, even in the dark room. But I could also see the determination and anger in Leo's. David didn't stand a chance against that. "You will tell her everything she needs to know, understood?"

David just nodded and Leo dropped him to the floor before he quickly retreated from the room, then then the lights came back on. Gotta love Donnie.

"W-who was that?" David asked as he got back up.

"Someone who you don't need to know."

"Like, a friggin spec ops or something?"

"Yup." Didn't really lie, he was special ops...just not that kind of special ops. "So good luck trying to figure it out."

"Where in the hell did you find him?"

"Please David. I've got contacts you don't know about."

"One of your old army buddies huh..." He took a deep breath. I just let him think that. I sure as hell wasn't going to tell him who Leo really was. "Fine... What do you want?"

I grabbed a chair and sat down in it. "Tell me everything."

He sighed. "That may take awhile."

"Then I guess you better start talking." I told him, my voice flinty.

I listened in shock at the story he told. This stupid motherfucker... He had decided that he wanted to go to Vegas, but didn't have the money. So...what does he do? Yup...loan shark. Then of course he blows it all and guess who wants his money back? Yup...loan shark. Once he fully realized he was going to get more than a slap on the wrist for what he did, he had went into hiding, trying to get the money together to pay them back. But of course with his shot credit he couldn't get any kind of financial assistance, and stubbornly refused to go to the police or anyone who was qualified to deal with this. Peter had been a last ditch effort, and that too was met with a door slammed into his face. He wasn't sure if they had followed him there, of if they had found out about his parents in another way, but the kids being there was sheer coincidence.

I had leaned back into the chair and rubbed my eyes at the stupidity I just took in. "Dammit David..."

"I'm sorry..."

"Oh yeah, _that's_ going to make everything better!" I snapped before I calmed myself again. "Can you get ahold of these guys at least? We haven't heard anything from them since last night."

"I could call the guy back in Vegas."

"Do that. Tell him I'm here and I want to discuss payment arrangements." I told him after a silent prompt in my head. "See if you can get his men to meet up with us in that park outside of town late tomorrow night."

"Why there?"

"Because I don't want anyone to stumble across us you twit! That's all we need is someone to call the cops on us for suspicious activity. At least I know the park will be pretty much empty, besides the local drug dealers."

"You don't have to be so insulting you know."

"And you don't have to be so stupid, so we're even." I sighed as I stood back up.

"Um...I don't have a phone...mine got turned off...and the motel won't let you call long distance."

"Oh, for the love of Jesus." I mumbled before I threw mine at him.

He made the call and I listened quietly from where I stood by the door. After a few minutes he hung up and handed it back to me. Now when I got home I was going to have to change my damn number, another annoyance caused by him. "He'll have them there after midnight. That should be late enough to where the park should be deserted."

I nodded and turned to the door, then paused. "Don't you dare try and run from this David. Or I swear to God I'll hunt you down myself." I told him quietly.

"I can't." He mumbled. "I don't have the money. I spent the last of it to pay for this room for a week."

Somehow not surprised, I shook my head as I walked out the door.

I got back into my Jeep and fired it up. "That was a pretty stupid stunt." I told the supposed to be empty vehicle.

"Had to make sure you didn't kill him." Leo told me wryly as he came up from where he was ducked down in the back. "Wasn't sure you would be able to restrain yourself." We had lowered the back seats to make room for all of our bags and never put them back up after we unloaded, so he had room to hide. Not much, but he did have room. Add in my tinted windows and he wasn't going to be seen. Was still pretty stupid though.

"Oh, I wasn't going to kill him. I _did_ promise Peter after all."

I then noticed Ellen's SUV following behind me as I pulled out. "That where you hid Donnie?"

"Yeah, it was actually her idea. She told Marina to follow you and we went with her. I guess she knows you pretty well."

"She knows how much I want to rip his eyeballs out and shove them up his nose right now." I muttered.

The rest of the drive back was quiet. Now came the hardest part, the waiting. And with that waiting the worrying would continue. It was going to be a stressful day, a quiet one, but stressful. I was so tired now as I almost stumbled out of the Jeep, been going twenty four hours now without any kind of sleep. I knew I needed to get some, but I also knew I wouldn't be able too.

Leo came out and looked at me gravely for a moment as he wrapped an arm around my shoulders. Before I could even fuss at him for being out in the open like this, I felt a sharp pain in my neck that was quickly followed by blackness swiftly moving in. "Please don't hit me when you wake up." Leo mumbled as he gently caught me, then I was out.


	7. Chapter 7

I don't know how long I was out but I woke up feeling much better actually. I came awake slowly, eyes blinking the last few stubborn remnants of sleep from my eyes. I was snuggled up in blankets and pillows in the cool back of the U-Haul, the air conditioner letting out a soft hum as it made this metal mobil bedroom bearable. Donnie really was a genius, this was almost as good as the camper, almost. I definitely needed an air mattress in here or something.

I had no idea what time it was when I groggily sat back up in the dark space, stretching out the kinks. Then I made my way to the back and pulled the door up to see the dark blue sky of late evening. I guess I slept the whole day.

"Leo! Run!" I heard Mikey's big mouth. "She's up!"

"I know." Came the calm reply.

I hopped out of the truck and stomped my way towards Leo who was meditating out in the grass next to the porch. "You!"

He opened an eye and looked at me, then closed it again. "Was there something?" He asked mildly.

"You used a sneaky ass pressure point move on me!"

"Yes, I did."

How dared he! How fucking _dared_ he! I was mad enough to try and kick him. Without even opening his eyes he caught my foot, spun my leg so hard out to the side that I spun a half circle in the grass and lost my balance and fell over, right into his waiting arms. "Now you know that wasn't going to work." He said, with his eyes still closed.

"Fuck you! I ought to beat the living shit out of you for that!" I told him as I took a swing at him.

He caught the arm and gently pulled it back down. "I really wish you wouldn't." He said in that same calm tone.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't!"

"I'll give you two." His eyes finally opened. "Dennis and Amy. If you want to get them back, you need to be in the condition to be able to do it, dear one. And falling asleep in the middle of a serious situation isn't going to help."

I just crossed my arms as I glared up at him, but I knew he was right.

"I knew you wouldn't be able to sleep, and you needed it. Was the only way for you to get it."

"Yeah, well, don't do it again." I mumbled at him. "Or I will beat the shit out of you."

"No promises." He smiled down at me.

"Asshole." I muttered.

"Sometimes." He calmly agreed. "Really though, the pressure point should have only knocked you out for a short period of time, but you slept most of the day, that's how tired you were. Was it really such a bad thing?"

I finally sighed my defeat. "No, I guess not. It's just, I wanted to be there while we made plans, or if something came up. I'm their mother, damn it, I should be doing this."

"Vicky, you are their mother, yes, but we all love them and put a lot of care in planning for tonight just because we do. If something serious did come up I would have woken you."

I didn't argue about it anymore. Couldn't argue with his logic anyway. "Still going to get you for that though." He just gave a a smile as an answer.

I stayed there with him, holding onto him, as the night kept creeping in. Soon the sky had darkened as I sat there, cradled in his still crossed legs, his arms around me. Trying to draw the strength I needed from him to get through this as he quietly told me what the plan was.

Once it was dark enough, he gently lifted me out of my seat and stood up. "Time for us to go." He told his brothers. "If we want to get there before the meeting, we better get moving." And with that, they quickly moved to the privacy fence that surrounded the backyard, and went over it.

I figured that I might as well start getting ready too. I still had some time to kill though, I was going to drive there where they guys pretty much had to go on foot. But I needed a shower, something to eat and then I had to go pick dumbass up, and this time I didn't mean Casey.

It was shortly before midnight when I again returned to his motel room and again banged on the door. "Let's go." I told him shortly when he answered it. He didn't look too happy about getting drug out, but I really didn't give him the option to stay behind. I meant it, he _was_ going to help me get them back.

The park was as quiet and abandoned as we hoped it would be when I pulled in and I parked my car after a short quiet drive. I was still ready to beat the shit out of him and he knew it so he just kept quiet. I didn't even talk after I parked, just got out and walked to the front of it, leaning against it as I waited with my arms crossed.

"Vicky..." David finally said as he got out himself, looking very nervous.

"What."

"You shouldn't be out in the open like this." He tried to tell me as he fidgeted near by.

"Pfft. Please, I'm not the one who owes them money. What do I have to worry about?"

"It's just not...safe."

I turned and glared at him. "Oh, so _now_ you are worried about the safety of family members?" I asked him with a raised brow. "Coulda used that insight before you even started this mess."

"You're not going to let me live this down, are you." He asked in a quiet voice.

"Hell fucking no I'm not!" I flared at him. "I don't know what happened to you David, I really don't. When we first met, you were one of the most responsible beings I knew, now I'm embarrassed to even be associated with you."

"I messed up! There I said it! Is that what you wanted to hear?" Anger was taking over now, but I just looked at him sadly.

"David, it's not that you mess up. It's that you keep doing the same mistakes over and over again, and they get worse every time you do and you never take into consideration to how it hurts others around you." I looked out into the dark park again. "And the ones who always suffer the most from it, are them."

He just looked at me for a moment, then sighed as he looked out into the park himself, but we both remained quiet after that.

Didn't really have time to start another conversation as another vehicle pulled up from the opposite direction, stopping about fifteen feet away from us before the doors opened and masked men got out, four of them to be exact. "Been looking for you." The apparent leader said as he walked around to the front of the car. "You brought the money?"

David swallowed hard a moment. "No...I don't have it..."

"Not the answer we wanted to hear." The man growled threateningly as I saw his eyes narrow.

"No, stupid here doesn't have it." I told the guy, drawing his attention to me. "That's why I'm here."

"And you are?"

"Their mother." I flately told him, not phased a bit by his glare.

"You got it?"

"Depends. How much are we actually talking about?"

He laughed a short laugh. "As of today? About a million, give or take a few thousand dollars on interest, that keeps adding up daily by the way.

I turned my glare to David then, he didn't tell me exactly how much he owed. "I am so going to hurt you when this is over with." I muttered. He couldn't meet my eyes and quickly looked away. I glared at him a moment longer before addressing he man in front of me. "Alright. It will take me a few days to gather the money."

"Seems reasonable enough, it's not exactly pocket change he owes. And you look like you just found out, if the way you are wanting to beat on him is any indication. Just keep in mind that the interest keeps going up the longer it takes."

"You have no idea." I muttered. "I want to talk to them."

"Not really in the position to demand anything right now." He smirked at me.

"Fine," I narrowed my eyes "I don't talk to them, I have no guarantee that they are still alive and you don't get your money."

"I could settle for your head, and his."

"And when you do, it all goes public. You actually didn't think I'd come out here without some kind of back up precaution in place did you? Trust me, you have no idea of the shitsplosion that's going to happen if you hurt either of us."

It hung there for a moment before he reached into his pocket and pulled out a phone, dialed a number and it rang on speaker phone. "Wuzzup?" Came another male's voice from the other end.

"But the brats on the phone." The leader told him as he walked closer to me, then held the phone out.

"A'ight." A moment of rustling then "Hello?"

"Dennis!" I was so relieved to hear him.

"Mom?"

"Are you and Amy alright?"

"As good as it's going to get." He muttered back. "Not really how I wanted to spend my summer break."

"I know sweety. I'm here, and I've got everything I need to take care of this."

"I'm really glad to hear that Mom." The relief in his voice was almost out done by the smirk I heard in it, he obviously caught my meaning.

"I love you Dennis, and if you can hear me Amy, I love you too. I'll get you out of this mess."

"No doubt in my mind at all about that." Came Amy's voice, with that same smirk sound to it. "We love you too."

Then the phone was hung up by the man in front of me. "You have three days to get the funds here."

"You want cash? Or a bank transfer?"

"Cash. You don't think we would leave you with a paper trail to take to the police did you?"

I shrugged, it was worth a try. "Three days should be plenty of time."

"Meet back here, same time." He told me as he walked back towards his vehicle. He and his men got in and then they drove off.

After they did I turned my glare back at my ex, then slapped him in the back of the head. "A million fucking dollars!" I exploded.

"Will you stop hitting me!"

"I haven't even begun to hit you yet!"

I could have sworn I could have heard soft chuckling in the bushes nearby, David missed it though. _'I'm starting to see why the marriage didn't work out.'_ Leo said wryly.

 _'You shut up.'_

"You don't have it, do you." David asked me quietly.

"Of course I don't have it you dunce!" I was seriously irritated at the moment. "But I had no intention of paying the ransom anyway."

"Then what was the point of meeting with them tonight?" He asked perplexed.

"To see how much time I had to work with." I replied as got back into the car. _'Leo, were you able to plant it?'_

 _'Of course. Had that done within the first few minutes of them showing up. Take him back, and we'll start following them.'_

 _'Please be careful.'_

 _'Always dear one.'_


	8. Chapter 8

Amy's arms hurt, her legs hurt and her butt hurt. She was cuffed up, typical movie cliche style, to a chair by her hands and feet and tied around her waist. Only allowed up to go to the bathroom. At least they let her do that, but fully informed her that they would put a bullet through Dennis' head if she try to run. He got the same threat if he had to pee. All in all, it was all very undignifying, and it really grated on her temper.

She sighed as she shifted, trying to get comfortable, for the countless time. "Stop moving!" A voice snapped at her from the dark room. A room she had no idea where it was. After being drug from her grandparents house they had been thrown in the back of a van that had no windows. Both her and Dennis had tried to remember the twists and turns to try and keep a location of their general area in their head, but that was given up after about the twentieth right, then the thirtieth left then a long straight drive then more rights and lefts. Yeah, she had no idea where she was.

"I can't help it!" She snapped back. "I've been sitting in this damn chair for two days now! My ass hurts!"

"Amy..." Dennis tried to calm her down from where he sat next to her. "Just chill, ok?"

"No, I will not chill! I'm tired, hungry and everything hurts! I want to go home!"

"You will, when your Dad pays up." Another man told her, but she didn't really hear him. She was to the point where she was desperately pulling at her ankle restraints. She wanted out of this damn chair! And when she got out of this damn chair she was going to whoop all their asses!

"Amy! Stop it!" Dennis hissed at her as the two figures walked closer, their eyes taking on a menacing tone.

She did, but not because anyone told her too. She had given up in frustration, her eyes filling with tears because she couldn't get free. She slumped in the chair, fully defeated.

Dennis fully shared in her frustration, and her pain. He was feeling just as bad as she was. At least they were giving them the basic care they needed, just enough though. Sure weren't going to get a five course meal here. He however tried to put his own feelings of frustration in the back of his mind, one of them had to be the calm one, and right now it wasn't going to be Amy. But to be honest, he was quickly reaching his limit too.

His sister sat crying in the chair next to him, and he was wanting to so much to take the cost of those tears out of the hides of the men forcing them in this predicament. At least she quite fighting, they didn't care if she cried, they just cared that she didn't get out of that chair.

He slumped against his chair in the same defeat she felt, but his eyes kept looking out of the single window in the room. _'Come on guys,'_ He thought _'where are you...'_

.

.

"Where the hell are we?" Raph muttered as they made their way through the thick vegetation.

"In a swamp." Mikey replied.

"Thanks, Mikey. That was real helpful." The big turtled grumbled.

"Anytime bro." Came the answering grin. "Anything to help out."

Leo just sighed and rolled his eyes, as he usually did when listening to his brothers' banter. You would think that after years of listening to it he's be used to it by now. Yeah, right...

Still, he was grateful for it. As much as he hated to admit it, their banter kept his mind occupied. Away from the thoughts that wanted to take up residence in his mind. He felt Vicky's worry, and shared it. How could he not? He was by their side since they were little, had watched them grow, trained them, loved them as if they were his own and now they were missing in a world he wasn't as familiar with as he was his own. So much could go wrong, but there was too much at stake for him not to try. As far as Leo was concerned, those were _his_ children out there. And he was going to get them back, and he didn't care if it was in his world or theirs.

"Which way, Donnie." Leo asked the quiet brother, ignoring the smack that came from behind him.

"We need to veer off to the north a bit." Came the reply as Donnie rechecked his readings. They had followed the tracker the rest of the night, and most of the following day. Taking a direct line through the landscape. It was slow going, very slow going, but was the only option they had in this unfamiliar world. They really couldn't roll up in the U-Haul and go knock on the door. _That_ wouldn't be obvious at all. Not to mention the had others had their own set of orders and couldn't spare a member to drive them out here.

"Jeez! Did you see the size of that mosquito?" Mikey swatted the air around him. "Thing is about as big as a B-52 bomber!"

"And yet, it's still not as big as your mouth." Raph rolled his eyes.

"I'd be more worried about the alligators." Donnie said, not taking his eyes off of his display. "Some can get very large."

Mikey took one look at the water they were wading in, gulped, and took to the trees. "Didn't really need to know that Donnie!" His voice came down from the canopy.

Donnie didn't answer, but he did have a slight smile on his face.

Leo pushed them on, further into the swamp. They still a had ways to go, but found that way a little harder when they came across a wide, swampy river. He calmly looked it over as he decided how to proceed.

"We could swim it." Raph suggested as Mikey dropped back down next to them.

There was a large splash in the water nearby and they all noticed the alligator as it made it's way back out into the river not far from them.

"Nope! Ain't happening!" Mikey flat out refused. "Not this little green duck! Nuh uh, no way in hell are you getting me in there!"

Leo looked at his younger brother a bit amused, but did agree with him. "No, we are to far out to risk Mikey getting eaten. We will have to find another way."

"There's a bridge not far away." Donnie spoke up. "Looks like one for the main freeway that runs in this area."

"How far is not far?"

"About four miles."

Leo sighed at the delay, but accepted it as he turned into the direction Donnie pointed out, that was in the opposite direction they were going.

After another, swampy, trek, they made it to the bridge and Leo sighed a bit on how long it was, another delay. "Stay on the supports under the bridge." Leo told them as he pulled his shuko spikes on.

"No...really?" Raph's voice was full of sarcasm. "I thought we were going to just walk along the top of it."

Leo just let that slide.

Swiftly they moved up, ignoring the heat of the afternoon, but Mikey couldn't ignore the heat of the concrete and metal. "Ow! Hot, hot, hot, hot, hot!" He screeched as he scrambled up the structure and into the shade provided by the road above them.

"Idiot." Raph mumbled as the rest scrambled up behind the crazy turtle.

The sun was setting by the time they made it across the bridge. Leo paused to take it in before he climbed back down. Making a silent promise to himself, by the time it came back up, they would be in his possession. Then he would take them back to their mother.

He hit the soggy ground with a soft squish and waited for Donnie as he still made his way down. He and Raph landed easily next to him, Mikey found the only four foot deep puddle as he landed with a splash. "Eew! Why is this water so slimey!" He complained as he drug himself out.

"Why are you so stupid." Raph shot back in a heartbeat.

Once again Donnie led them through the swamp as the evening slowly settled into night. Confidently he guided them trough the trees and stale puddles of water, unerringly guiding them closer to that small signal that called out to them. The only call from Dennis and Amy he could hear, and he was determined to answer it.

Like four dark ghosts they moved among the wildlife as the day creatures settled down and the nocturnal ones came out, their passing disturbing neither set as they moved swiftly, taking to the trees if they couldn't cross the muddy ground. There was a new animal hunting here tonight, and they would not be deterred from their prey. But it wasn't hunger that drove them on, it was love.

The minutes passed, each one bringing them closer, each step kindling the slow burning fire Leo felt. It was well into the early morning hours by now when Leo noticed the ground starting to become less soggy, the mud slowly turning into firm, packed earth. They were starting to come out of the swamps. Until, finally, Leo laid eyes on the building that the tracker had led them too.

They hid in the trees surrounding the structure, four sets of eyes watching the place intently, taking in the guards that secured the perimeter along with the fence, the quickest escape route back out, and the structure itself. A single small, one story structure set way back into the woods until it almost bordered on the swamp the turtles had left not to long before. Leo quickly found the vehicle Mikey had tagged with a tracker the night before, along with a few others, including a windowless van. It was isolated, probably not easy to find by conventional means. And even if it were they would have plenty of notice if the cameras scattered about were any indication. Once again Leo was glad he had made the trek on foot, any vehicle coming near would have been easily noticed.

He looked out over the small compound, his eyes taking it all in as he thought about how to go from here. Once every detail had been committed to his memory, his eyes narrowed as he then carefully studied the guards, their habits and their patrol pattern and this too was stored before he pulled his brothers back further into the vegetation.

"Donnie?" He asked his brother, knowing he wouldn't need to clarify.

"I think I found them." Came the quick reply. "I'm getting their familiar biosignatures from a room on the other side of the building."

"Well then, let's go introduce ourselves." Raph grinned as he peered back around the tree towards the clearing beyond.

"Not that they'd like to meet you." Mickey grinned at him. "They would probably run away from your ugly ass."

"Trust me little brother," Raph growled "I have no intention of leaving any of them standing to be able to try."

"Nor do I." Leo grimly added. Then he quickly laid out the plan for them all and they all nodded in quick agreement, each of them understanding their part to play in this perfectly. It was a more cautious plan, just because they didn't want to risk the two lives being held within. But they all knew that when they were safe, it was going to be a different story. They had traveled a long journey to find Dennis and Amy, but not one of them let that show as they stood on sturdy legs, weapons ready in untrembling hands. Exhaustion wasn't allowed to show itself as they once again slipped into the night. Now it was their turn to show these kidnapers how to do a midnight raid, ninja style.


	9. Chapter 9

I sat in the recliner, and waited. As stated before it wasn't exactly easy to do, but it had to be done. I didn't have a choice, so I waited, and hoped.

I looked out the dark window, taking in the calm night. He was so far I really couldn't feel him and I shuddered at how far they must have traveled for that to happen. It didn't mean he wasn't there, just that it was harder for me to reach him and I didn't waste the effort trying. I had to trust in him, because I didn't know how to do anything else. That and I had my own orders. I didn't like them, but I would follow them. He had his part to play, and I had mine. I just calmly sat in that chair, and waited. Waited for the signal that I hoped I would get soon, so I could start my own preparations.

I sighed, as my eyes looked out into the distance, not really seeing anything. I hated waiting.

.

.

Amy was crying again and Dennis really couldn't blame her. Her wrists and ankles were raw from fighting the handcuffs and every time they were allowed to go on a bathroom break, they could barely walk they were so stiff. And still they were forced back into the chairs after every trip.

It literally hurt to sit now, the skin had by now gone raw and their pajamas more and more began to attach to the moist areas caused by that. To even move slightly shot pain through them that made him gasp, and Amy cry. Sleep, hard to do as it was before, was impossible now and on top of everything else fatigue was wearing them down.

Dennis could only watch numbly as his sister cried, unable to put the words together to even try and comfort her in his current state. He just numbly stared at the floor, trying to keep his thoughts focused through the tired haze that was quickly developing. He still held onto that hope, knew they were coming. He just didn't expect it to take so long and doubts were starting to fill him. What if they couldn't find him, what if they had been seen and caught by the government? What if they got hurt by the thugs that took him and his sister? What if...

The lights went out. Dennis struggled to bring his thoughts into focus...the lights went out...

There were a few startled shouts, and Dennis' hopes began to rise...could it be?...

Then they came back on as the rumble of a generator kicked in and that dashed his hopes lower than when they had started to rise. He felt himself giving up. He wasn't going to go home, and Amy's crying picked up even more telling him she was dealing with the same crushing morale blow.

"W-w-w-we aren't ever going to go home..." She almost wailed next to him. "Dad isn't going to come up with the money...and Mom can't-"

The lights went out again, cutting her off, only the sounds of her sniffling filling the darkness.

"Who forgot to fill the damn generator!" Came an angry shout from the other side of the door, from the leader who had ripped them from their family.

"It should be full!" Came the reply shout.

"Go fill it again!"

There was a quick pass of a shadow in front of the window to the room and he just looked out of it, not fully comprehending. It was so quick he wasn't even sure he even noticed it and he was about to brush it off as wishful thinking.

"Hey! Where the fuck is Robert? He's the one with the keys to the damn shed!" Came the voice of the guy who was told to fill the generator.

"He should be out by the gate!"

"Well, he's not!"

"Then go _find_ him!"

"He's probably on the pisser." Someone helpfully added.

The first voice walked away, grumbling.

And still they sat in the darkness as the minutes ticked by.

"Johnny! How long does it take to to fill that damn generator!"

Silence.

"Johnny? You better be putting gas in that fucking thing!" The leader yelled as his voice faded out, then there was the sound of a door slamming.

Dennis was trying to bring his tired mind to focus, but couldn't. But hope was quickly rising again as the darkness kept covering the compound. "Johnny!" Came from outside then. "Where the fuck is he?"

"I don't know!"

"Somebody better go find him!"

Then came a loud crash from outside, and the sounds of something rolling across the property. "God damn it you idiots! You've got flashlights! Use them! You just knocked over our water supply with your clumsy asses!"

"But Jeremy, none of us were over there!"

"Well someone knocked it over! Johnny! Where the fuck _are_ you! Robert! Did you give him the key to the shed yet?"

"Hey, anyone seen Tom? He was supposed to relieve me ten minutes ago."

"He was just here, I just talked to him."

"Well he isn't here now Shaun! And I want off of guard duty! My feet hurt."

There was another loud thud.

"What the fuck was that?" Jeremy exclaimed. "Shaun, go find out what got tipped over this time." Silence again. "Shaun?"

"Maaan...I'm getting a bad feeling about this..." Someone else said. "Place is fucking haunted, yo! I told you this place was haunted!"

"Oh, will you shut up Ed!" Jeremy snapped. "Idiots probably knocked themselves out on something."

"All the flashlights are in the shed, and we still can't find Robert."

"Then break the damn door down before all of you idiots destroy the place with your two left feet!" There was the sound of a door being kicked in, followed by silence. "Did you get in?" The sound of crickets chirping was the only answer he got.

By now Amy's sobbing had stopped as she also began to notice what was going on. Even as she brought her desperate head up to try and peer into the darkness, trying to see anything to give her a reason to hold onto that fast building hope, and hand carefully covered her mouth. "Shhh..." Came a voice very softly in her ears, barely even audible.

It was all she could do to nod once as the tears of relief spilled down her cheeks. The hand retracted and there was a quick succession of very quiet thuds coming from the guards by the door as the cuffs were released then the rope was untied from her waist. "Can you stand?" Donnie murmured quietly as he helped her to her feet.

She did, but stumbled a little from pain and weariness. A hand reached out from behind her and quickly steadied her. "Easy." Leo mumbled.

"Hey Ed! What was that story about this place again?"

"Swamp ghost man! I'm tellin' ya this place is being haunted by the swamp ghost!"

"Ed!" Jeremy snapped. "If you don't shut the hell up with that shit I'm going to-"

"Wooo-oo-oo-oo-oo..." Came a spooky, and obviously a Mikeyish sounding voice in the darkness. "I am the swamp ghost! I will give you wedgies and tie your shoo-oo-oo-oe laces together..."

"Why me?" Leo muttered as he carefully picked Amy up.

She wasn't even paying attention to the commotion outside anymore as she threw her arms around him. "Leo!"

"It's ok Amy, we're here now." His calm voice told her as he held her close. Donnie was now quickly unhooking Dennis.

"Fuck! Run! It's the swamp ghost! It's gonna-umppf!"

"Ed! What happened?"

"Someone tied my shoelaces together!" He squealed, then there was a high pitched squeak as another shouted. "I just got wedgied!"

"Fuck this shit! I'm out of here!"

"Me too!"

"Stay put you morons-Oww! God damn it! When I find out which one of you ass clowns started this wedgie shit Ima gonna fuckng kick your asses!"

"Time to go?" Donnie asked amused as he helped Dennis to his feet.

"Time to go." Leo answered and led the way. He quickly crossed the room and Amy noticed a section of the wall had been carefully removed, easily allowing them to slip out into the dark night.

"But Jeremy! None of us is doing it!" Came Ed's protesting voice. "I'm telling you! It's the swamp ghost!"

It was quiet for a minute then "Or someone trying to distract us! Check on the kids!"

"Damn!" Leo snapped as he hauled ass to the fence.

"It was inevitable." Donnie told him.

"Was hoping for more time!"

"Swa-a-a-a-amp ghost is going to get-" Gunfire rang out in the night. "Shit!"

"Over here!" Came around the same time as "They are gone!" Which was around the same time as Leo and Donnie cleared the fence with their burdens. They didn't even stop as all hell broke loose behind them.

"Don't just stand there you dumbfucks! _Find_ them!"

Leo and Donnie ran on, now running as fast as they could in the tangled underbrush, trying to put as much distance as they could between them and the compound they just left behind.

After about a half mile or so they slowed down and finally came to a stop, waiting. Leo peered intently out into the darkness as something caught his attention. "Swamp ghost?" He asked Mikey incredulously as he came into view.

Mikey just shrugged as an impish grin found it's way onto his face. "Dude gave me something to work with and I ran with it."

"Fucking idiot." Raph mumbled as he walked up from another direction.

"Yeah, he was kinda dumb to give me ammo to work with."

"I meant you, stupid."

"Oh..."

Leo just shook his head and sighed before he turned his attention to the teens. "Are you alright?"

"We're fine, now." Dennis grinned back up at him.

"I'm not so sure about that." Donnie mumbled as he ran his scan over them. "They are exhausted, and they are pretty tore up on the back. Good lord, did they keep you tied to those chairs the whole time? You've got the chair's outline literally etched into your skin..."

"Well, not the whole time." Dennis told him dryly. "They actually let us up to go to the bathroom."

"How nice of them." Raph muttered darkly. "I think I'll go back and thank them for that courtesy."

"Not now Raph." Leo told him firmly.

"You are not just going to let them slide are you?"

"No. I'm not. But right now we need to get them out of here. Time for that later, and I'm sure we'll have plenty of opportunity."

Amy had just stood quietly there, just taking in the fact that they were now safe. They were now with their family. She just held onto Leo as he spoke to his brothers and the arm he had wrapped carefully around her did wonders for the downtrodden girl. She had been on the edge of losing hope, but now, she knew she was safe and that they would keep her that way. "I was starting to think you wouldn't come." She finally quietly admitted to the large turtle as he gently guided her along.

"Amy, I'll always be there if you need me." He told her gently. "Nothing will ever keep me from doing that."

"And it looks like we still have to do so tonight." Donnie broke into the conversation. "They are coming out here after us."

"Then lets put some distance between us." Leo said and once again led the way, his sure footsteps guiding hers through the dark swamp.


	10. Chapter 10

My eyes popped open as the distant, silent, call finally came, not even knowing I had fallen asleep. I swiftly got to my feet from the recliner and slapped Casey on the shoulder who was sleeping on the couch. "Whowuzzit!" He mumbled as he almost fell out of it.

"Get up." I told him.

"They got them?"

"They do now."

"All righty then." He got up and started to gear up before I moved on to wake the others.

After a couple of soft knocks on the doors, they were answered and preparations began to be made. I now stood in front of the bundled up form sleeping on the floor in my in laws room. I didn't even try to be nice as I ripped the blanket off of him. "Get up." I snapped at him.

"What?" David mumbled as he blinked awake.

"You heard me, get your ass up." I stared down at him as he sat up and began to untangle himself from the blankets.

"Why? What's going on?"

I just rolled my eyes at him. Truthfully I still wanted to kick him in the mouth, and he was in the perfect spot for me to do it, but I couldn't. Leo had beat it in my head that he needed protection too, and I at least owed him that much. He was an idiot, but didn't deserve what would happen to him if I hadn't brought him here last night. So, reluctantly, he was brought into our protection fold. Didn't mean I had to tell him everything though, and I wasn't going to tell him anything if I didn't have too.

"Just get up and get dressed." I told him as I walked back out of the room, then grabbed my own things and went into the bathroom to change.

David happened to be coming down the hall, still looking bewildered at what was going on, when he saw me step back out, and his eyes grew wide. Gone were the jeans and T-shirt I was wearing and the hair just flowing down my back. Gone was the worried mother of his missing children. I came striding out of that bathroom in my tight black sweater, black cargo pants and boots. My asps were belted around my waist and my hair was now pulled back into a braid. The worry that had so filled me before was gone and I was filled with a calm determination. I wasn't the Vicky he knew as he stared wide eyed at me. They looked even more shocked as the others started to emerge, dressed very similar. "What is going on?" He asked as he looked at us in our battle garb. Peter and Ellen were looking on just as shocked at our transformation.

"It's time for you three to go hide." Cris told them. "We're expecting some company here very soon."

"You are?" David asked confused, but Peter and Ellen just nodded, already expecting what was about to happen.

"They don't have hostages anymore." I firmly told him. "And they might be looking for some new ones. We are going to deter them from that idea."

"Go." Marina added. "We don't know how much time we have."

"Please don't destroy my house." Peter mumbled as he led them to the attic.

"We'll try not too." I winked back at him.

"Why do I not feel comforted by that reassurance?" He sighed.

.

.

Leo led them on as quick as he could, but it was rough going in this terrain. Dennis and Amy were tired and hurting from their ordeal and Leo really couldn't find a way to carry either of them that wouldn't aggravate their raw skin more than it already was.

He held Amy's hand as he moved, guiding her and pushing her on, catching her when she stumbled on things she couldn't see or from just plain weariness. Dennis so far was keeping up, but he wasn't in much better condition. Not to mention neither one of them was dressed for this since they were both in pajamas. They didn't even have slippers on their feet. Again Leo cursed at the circumstances that caused this current ordeal as he guided them carefully through the trees.

Amy stumbled again and Leo carefully pulled her back to her feet as he paused, his eyes searching, his instincts kicking into high gear as a faint sound caught his attention. His eyes narrowed in the darkness and with a quick nod of his head, Raph split off from the group and disappeared out of his sight. Leo just gently guided his charges on.

"Leo? What's wrong?" Amy quietly asked him, her grip tightening on his hand.

"His sixth sense kicked in." Mikey grinned at her before Leo could reply. "And he just sent Raph to kick it back out again."

Amy looked around worriedly, her eyes trying to scan the darkness she couldn't see anything in besides the shadows of the trees.

"Not that way." Leo told her as he looked down. "Don't force your eyes to see what they can't."

"Then how do you do it?" Dennis asked as Leo got them moving again.

Leo's head kept scanning the area, even as he quietly spoke. "Get a feel for your surroundings. How they should feel, then let the disturbances that don't belong there jump out at you."

"That makes no sense." Amy mumbled.

"It does if you try to understand it."

Amy and Dennis exchanged a quick, doubting, look.

Leo caught it and smiled gently. "Your senses are used to the normal bustling of daily activities around you, so it's hard to comprehend right away. Think about it, this is a swamp in the night. What noises should you hear?"

"Crickets." Dennis offered, and only because they were so loud to him earlier when Jeremy was calling to his men and they wouldn't respond.

"Very good. What else?"

"Frogs?" Amy asked. "Seem to hear a lot of frogs."

"Thought I heard a racoon chattering earlier." Dennis added.

"Exactly. Just because it is night, doesn't mean the animals all go quiet. So if there is a sudden stillness in one part of the forest, what would that tell you?"

They thought about that a minute as Leo kept moving them on. "That they are trying to hide maybe?" Dennis finally hesitantly threw out there.

"From what?" Leo asked calmly as he lifted Amy over a large puddle, then did the same for Dennis.

"Something bigger than them." Amy said confidently as he took her hand again. "Something they know could eat them."

"And what could be big enough to make everything go quiet?"

"Gators." Dennis shrugged. "Caimen. Bears I guess if there are any here."

"Or humans." Amy added and their eyes grew wide as they both suddenly understood. "Especially if they move in groups. So if everything goes quiet, then there is something out there all species have learned to fear...we are being followed."

"Consider that today's lesson." Leo winked at them as Mikey chuckled quietly. "There is a bit more that goes with it, but it's a start." He sighed then. "This isn't how I wanted to teach it to you though."

Amy squeezed his hand. "I'd rather learn from you while being chased than get ambushed down the line because you didn't take the time to teach us, Leo." She told him quietly.

"Nothing like learning as you go." Donnie agreed. "Father did that to us a few times if I remember right."

"True, but we weren't in a swamp with two worn out teenagers and have who knows how many men with guns behind us." Leo said ruefully.

"No, but we did have one loud mouthed Mikey. That was just as bad."

"Hey! I was the fun of those boring training sessions."

"And ruined every stealth lesson he tried to teach us in the process." Leo mumbled, but had a small fond smile on his face as he did.

It didn't take Raph long to catch up with them since they weren't really going fast. "They sent out scout parties." He quietly murmured. "That was one of them."

"Was?" Leo asked him.

Raph just shrugged as an evil grin found it's way to his face. "I gave them that thank you I promised to give them earlier. Don't think they appreciated it though."

"I would imagine not." Leo replied, once again guiding the teens around some terrain that wouldn't tear their feet up. He looked again at them, noticing how tired they were as they stumbled along. This was no good, they wouldn't be able to keep up like this, and to be honest, he was starting feel himself starting to lag. He sighed as he realized that he really didn't have a choice. "We need to find a place to rest." He told his brothers.

"Not really anything here Leo." Raph replied him as he looked around and saw nothing but swamp and trees.

"Then we need to improvise." Donnie said. The purple banded turtle scanned the trees for a moment before he settled on one that seemed to fit his needs. He quickly scurried up it and vanished in the leaves and vines above them. after about fifteen minutes or so he popped his head out of the canopy. "Bring them up." He softly called down.

"Hold onto me." Leo told Amy before he began his own trek up the tree, Mikey with Dennis right behind him and Raph bringing up the rear. Once they reached the top, Leo was pleasantly surprised to find a sturdy basket that Donnie had woven out of the tree branches, the hard wood was covered in piles of leaves and vines.

"It's not the Hilton, but it will get us through the night." Donnie told them as he took a very tired Amy's hand and guided her into the nest he made before guiding Dennis in next. He helped them get settled down, and soon both were fast asleep despite their pain. He then began to look them over a bit more thoroughly, but being very careful not to wake them back up.

Leo looked out over the horizon, seeing nothing but more trees and swamp in the dim, starlight night. They still had a long way to go. He let his gaze wander to the thunderstorm that seemed to be brewing in the distance, the flashes it let out illuminating the landscape below it as the dull rumbles traveled across the sky. "Donnie?"

"Yes?"

"Will that cause us any problems tonight?" His worried gaze still locked onto that storm.

"I don't really see why it should." He replied as he looked it over. "It's blowing in the wrong direction. It'll go south of us. We should be ok up here for tonight."

Leo just nodded as he still tiredly looked out. "I'm impressed Donnie. Didn't think you would be able to come up with something like this."

His younger brother's quiet chuckles met his ears. "Let just say that after the unintentional side trip we took to Usagi's world had me seriously studying ways to make life easier if we ran across the same situation again."

"And I thank you now for having done that." Leo told him gratefully.

"Get some sleep Leo." Mikey told him as he settled down next to his older brother. "I'll take first watch."

Leo just nodded in reply. He knew his brother would indeed do just that, and do it very well. When it came to his family, he could indeed be counted on to play a part besides the endless annoying prankster. He laid a hand on his brother's shoulder in thanks before he settled down, knowing that the next day would bring more challenges.


	11. Chapter 11

The sun came up slowly. It's early morning light striking the sky in fiery hues as it seemed to set the whole horizon aglow with it's brilliant colors. Leo stood in the tree, on a branch above the nest Donnie had made, standing watch over his brothers and the children they protected. Arms crossed, mask tails flowing in the breeze, he stood. His stern gaze watching for the approach of anyone who may want to harm those under his care. And he knew they were out there, stubbornly not wanting to let their marks go that had slipped out of their clutches the night before. He knew this very well, had met their kind before and knew the signs intimately. Mainly because those dumbfucks made so much noise you really couldn't _not_ know they were out there.

They had passed under this very tree shortly after Leo relieved Mikey from his watch, and they never knew the death that waited above them if they had taken the time to look more thoroughly. He was was fully prepared to deliver it. He would defend his children, turtle or human. His katanas had been pulled and ready to use as he crouched in those lower branches, his eyes calculating their every move. If they even so much as even hinted that they were going to go up, they were going to go down. It didn't come to that as they moved on, Leo's blue eyes watching every step they took before they disappeared from his sight.

The rest of the night had passed calmly and quietly, besides Mikey slapping at the mosquitos every five minutes. Dennis and Amy were able to rest peacefully and even now, when he knew they should be on their way, he let them sleep. Knowing that they dearly needed it, because they didn't get much the last few days, and they would need all of the energy they could muster for the rest of the way they had to go. But their little tree bed wasn't exactly still any more either. A fact that Leo noticed by the very loud growl of Mikey's stomach, that in turn woke it's owner up. "Man, what I wouldn't give for something to eat right about now." Mikey groaned quietly as he sat up.

In spite of the seriousness of the situation, Leo smiled before he dropped himself in a forward spin and landed easily in a crouch on one of the supporting branches holding them all up. "For once little brother, I agree with you."

Mikey let out a high pitched scream as Leo surprised him. "Jeez, Leo! You tryin' to give a turtle a heart attack?"

He just raised an eyeridge at the youngest. "Someone needs to be more aware of his surroundings."

" _Some_ one needs to stop being so damn sneaky!"

Leo didn't know why he even still bothered anymore, Mikey would never change. Leo just held his finger to his lips and pointed to the still sleeping teens. Mikey quickly caught the meaning and toned his hunger complaints down to the level of only being moderately annoying. They slept through the noises though, surprisingly.

"I'm going to see if I can scrounge up something to eat." Leo told Mikey before he began to work his way down the tree again.

"How are you going to cook it?" Mikey asked.

"Who said anything about cooking it?" Leo replied and he let out a slight chuckle at the disgusted sound Mikey made.

Finding food really wasn't that hard for him. This was a swamp, there was food everywhere if you knew where to look. Leo chose to stay close to the tree in his search which meant he went fishing since there wasn't any larger game nearby at the moment. And since he didn't have any fishing gear with him, he resorted to just stabbing them with his katanas. His father would have thrown a fit at what he was doing with those blades, at first anyway. But Leo was sure he would understand when he knew why. Still, Leo had to ruefully shake his head, never had he thought that he would be in a swamp fishing with his weapons. Life sure did have a sense of humor sometimes.

He had a decent bundle of fish gathered when his instincts were once again screaming at him. He quickly gathered up his prize and scrambled back up the tree, then he carefully watched after he set his bounty down, peering over the edge.

"They have to be around here somewhere!" A man complained under them.

"You think I don't know that!" Another snapped.

"Then why can't we find them? It's not like they could have gotten far out here."

"Because the bitch that was supposed to pay up apparently called in someone. They didn't escape alone."

"But Jeremy said that he had the police covered! Said that he would know if they were called!"

"You idiot!" The other man snapped. "Obviously she didn't use the police. It doesn't matter anyway. Johnson said the matter is past paying the money back, he wants the whole family wiped out. Anyone related to that loser is done. We just need to find the kids."

"Then we can get out of this muck?"

"Yes, you big crybaby." Then they moved out of hearing range.

Leo's eyes narrowed as he took all that in, on the verge of taking two confirmed threats out right then. But he quickly reconsidered that course of action as he heard motors of airboats running around out there. They weren't the only two.

"Interesting conversation." Donnie mumbled, carefully coming to peer down next to Leo.

"You noticed."

"Too noisy not too, they were obviously very confident in the fact we couldn't hear them." Donnie's eyes also followed the two men. "You tell Vicky yet?"

"Just enough to let her know it stepped up a notch, it's hard to communicate from this distance clearly. It's like trying to shout from very far away. Think they are graduating from kidnapping to murder now though. "

"Seems that way." Donne agreed. "I've been meaning to for years to get a set limit on your peculiar gift. It would be nice to see how far apart you two can go before the bond stops working."

"Just be glad I'm still in range, otherwise this whole thing would have played out differently." Leo smiled a little. "We'd end up taking her out here with us, could you imagine that scene?"

"Quite well actually." Donnie smiled back. "I'm surprised you restrained yourself as good as you did."

"Oh, trust me Donnie, I haven't restrained myself at all, it's just not the right time."

"Oh boy."

"Oh yeah." Leo's eyes flashed as he looked back at the teens. "How are they really Donnie?"

The brother next to him sighed. "Not terrible. Main factor was their exhaustion and the fact they have been literally rubbed raw by the cuffs and sitting so long in those chairs. They are going to be stiff, sore and tired, but they should be ok over all. Their skin is already starting to dry out, now I just have to keep the bugs out of the wounds."

Leo just nodded. "Let them rest as long as they need. We'll stay here until they wake up, we should be safe enough up here. I brought up some fish, if you can find a way to cook it with out letting the whole swamp know we are up here we need to get them to eat. I'll go back down later for some water."

"Don't worry about killing yourself trying to find a clear pool. I'll strain whatever you do find, then boil it. Once I'm done it will be fit to drink."

"Dude..." Mikey interrupted from where he was lounging next to Dennis. "How ya going to boil water and cook fish...in a tree?"

"Using the one thing you don't have." Donnie grinned at him. "My brains."

Raph snorted with laughter at Mikey's less than happy face at that answer.

Leo watched amused as Donnie pulled his pack off, then set it flat on the branches that were holding them up. He pushed a button and a flat surface slipped out the side of it. He unfolded it open and Leo grinned wryly at what he was watching. Donnie a rigged up a burner into his pack and even now climbed a bit higher to place the solar panel that came with it in the best possible spot. Then he came back down and pulled out one of Vicky's old frying pans and placed it on top of the burner. Leo just shook his head.

"Trust the geek to come up with this shit." Raph muttered in disbelief as he watched Donnie start to clean the fish while he waited for the fryer to heat up.

"I told you, after that last mishap of a camping trip we did, I refuse to be caught unprepared again." Donnie told them as he laid the first fish onto the fryer. Then he paused as he thought of something. He reached into another compartment and pulled out a few soft canteens and tossed them to Leo. "You might need these."

Raph facepalmed. "You got a toilet in there too?"

"Why you need one?" He opened yet another compartment and pulled something else out, then unfolded what looked like a box, with a hole on top. Then reached back in for toilet paper. Raph facepalmed again.

"Dude, you seriously need help." Mikey muttered, shaking his head. "Hey! Why didn't you tell me you had that on the way down here? I almost pissed myself in the van."

"Then I would have missed out on the Mikey pee pee dance." Donnie grinned at him.

They stayed up in that tree as the day heated up, but they were in enough shade and got a decent breeze up this high so it didn't get to uncomfortable. Leo had went back down and filled the canteens once the area had cleared out. When he got back up he handed Donnie the still dripping bags and he pulled out a pot, with another Raph facepalm, and began to sanitize the water. By the time he was done with that, Amy started to stir.

Leo watched her as she rolled onto her back and stretched, then she winced in pain as tears shot to her eyes. Leo was next to her in a second to help her sit up. "What's the matter?"

"I'm just so god dang stiff...it hurts." She hissed again as she moved wrong.

Leo watched her as she struggled, she could barely move. "Lay down on your stomach." He told her.

"What? Why?"

"Just, trust me Amy."

"Fiiiine..." She mumbled as he helped guide her back down again, then he began to carefully work various pressure points. Massaging the spots with his fingers, he could tell he was slowly easing the pain away as her body relaxed under him. After about forty five minutes or so, she was starting to doze off again. When he was finally done, she was already moving much easier. "I'm hungry." She then decided to inform everyone and Donnie tossed her a fish. "Do I look like dang seal to you?"

"No, more like a very dirty teenager."

"Ug, I so need a shower." She mumbled as she looked down at her now filthy pajamas.

"I don't know, Amy." Mikey grinned at her. "The shower might grow legs and run off when it catches sight of you."

She glared at him, and Raph tried to smack him but he was out of Raph's range...so Leo did it. "Ow!"

By then Dennis had started to stir and he got the same treatment while Amy ate. Then Dennis finished off the rest of the fish when he was able to move without the chorus of ouches.

As Dennis was finishing up, Leo was once again intently peering through the wilderness, but right now there wasn't anything close enough that was causing his instincts to scream at him. "We need to move." He then told the others. "While it's somewhat safe to do so."

Donnie quickly gathered up all of his gear while the others started down. Leo felt very exposed down here now with the sun out, but didn't want to risk staying there any longer. Still didn't stop them from making almost no sound as they once again started to make their way through this wet landscape, but the faint sounds around them fully let them all know they weren't safe yet, they were still being looked for, because the sounds they did hear were all man made.


	12. Chapter 12

Evening was quickly approaching as I sat crouched on top of the roof, watching the area intently, as I've been doing most of the day. I knew it was coming, just didn't know when. The others were also keeping a careful watch of the house and the decent sized property it was built on. I couldn't see them, that didn't mean they weren't there. The only one I could tell for sure the location on was Casey because he was inside in the garage that held the ladder that led up to the attic.

The sun slipped lower and the sky grew darker and still I didn't move from that roof. I crouched, and I waited. Was getting real tired of waiting actually. I took a few moments to reach out and sighed. Leo was still so far away and I so much just wanted to go to them, but I couldn't. Not now.

"Been pretty quiet all day." Cris mumbled as she came closer to join me. "You sure about this?"

"As sure as Leo is." I quietly replied.

She didn't say anything as she looked out into the night, her eyes searching as she absentmindedly tapped her hanbo into her palm. "I wish they would have been able to get a time. All this waiting is seriously making my trigger finger itch."

"Trigger finger?" I asked her with a small smile. "Didn't know your staff was loaded."

"Oh, it loaded all right." She smirked back at me. "Just need someone to unload on."

We both ducked down as a couple of vans came screaming around the corner then, screeching to a halt in front of the house. "I think you just got your wish." I murmured quietly as the doors opened and men began to storm out like clowns out of a clown car, the guns they carried immediately caught my attention. My goodness there were a lot of them.

Cris just quietly slipped away as I moved further down the far side of the house, using the pitch of the roof to hide me from their sight. The crash of the door opening actually made me smile, because a moment later Donnie's security precautions kicked in too. The high pitched squeals as they got zapped by the tasers he installed more than likely clued in the others that we had company.

I quickly slid down the roof and landed in the backyard in a crouch before I quickly hopped the fence, right into the first group who was coming around the house. I saw their wide, stunned eyes at my sudden appearance. I didn't even give them the time to cry out a warning to the others. I lept up high, spinning, and brought my foot around to connect with a masked head. I landed and went right for the one closest to me, grabbing his arm as he tried to bring his pistol up, knocked the pistol out of his hand before spinning inside of his reach and elbowed him in the face. With a quick twist I threw him over my shoulder and into another one before ducking the rifle butt that was aimed for my head by yet another. Still kneeling, my leg came around again as I spun and knocked his feet out from under him. I was on him as soon as he hit the ground, and my fist met his face, knocking him out, before I rolled out of the way as the two guys who had the collision earlier closed in. I rolled back to my feet, and the asps snapped out.

I glared at them a moment, these were some of the men who took my children and I was fully intent on letting them know how unhappy I was about that fact. I snarled as I came in again, one asp knocking another rifle up as it spun its aim towards me even as I lashed out with my leg, catching the other in the gut. My other asp came around and and down onto the arm of the rifle holder and he dropped his weapon with a cry of pain before the first asp came down onto the back of his neck, silencing him as he hit the ground. Then my foot met the face of the one who was struggling to get back up, and he flipped over backwards with the momentum of the kick. He didn't get back up that time. "You pissed off the wrong mother." I grimly told the knocked out bodies.

I didn't pay them anymore attention as I slid along the side of the house before I carefully peered around. There were two standing there, on the walkway, probably the drivers of the vans. I gauged the distance to them, it was going to be close, they would be able to get those guns pointed in my way before I could reach them, maybe even get a shot off. I grinned a nasty grin though when I noticed movement on the far side of the house, movement only I was supposed to see.

I came around in a quiet rush, but was spotted as I expected. But before they could even think of bringing their firearms to bear two kunai came flying from the other direction, nailing each of them in the shoulder. That was all the distraction I need and they soon found themselves sleeping on the grass.

"Any problems?" I quietly asked her as she came to stand beside me.

"Please." She mumbled. "Not with this bunch of wannabes."

I just nodded as I carefully moved into the house, making sure to avoid the tasers and chuckling again at the passed out men in the entrance way. Then we moved further in, not making a sound. And it didn't take us to go very far before we met one on the men who had made it past the tasers. Ran right into him actually as he came around the corner from the hallway. Cris and I didn't even go ninja on him, we double punched him in the face. Worked even without the fancy moves.

Next we went down the hallway he came out of, and paused at the sound of voices in the master bedroom. "They ain't here!" One voice complained.

"They have to be." Another voice snarled.

"Just because your hide is resting on the fact they should be, doesn't mean they are."

"Shut up Mike and meet up with the team out back. See if they are in the shed or one of the vehicles parked back there."

So there were more than what pulled up in the front. That's what we needed to know. They must have came over the fence of the property while Cris and I were busy on the sides of the house. Now the problem I had was, I didn't know how many came in from that direction.

"Go." Cris told me as she raised her hanbo. "I got these two assclowns." She kicked the bedroom door open and rolled into the room. I winced at that one as I ran out the back door. Peter wasn't going to like that too much.

I came running out just in time to see Marina struggling with a large group out by the shed, and heard commotion coming from the garage before a body came crashing through the outside door that led to it from the backyard. For a moment I was torn on which friend to help as I heard more commotion going on in the garage. That decision was made for me when Cris rushed past me and stormed in the garage and I went out into the yard.

Again I felt that rage build up in me as I ran, my braid flying behind me. These were the men responsible for taking my children. A sneer found it's way into my face as I closed in and leapt into a spinning leap, coming back down in the middle of the group with an asp leading. It connected with the face of one and my spin kept me going and the other one repeated the process on another head. Both hit the ground. Marina covered my entrance as she came in behind me, her knives knocking the weapon out of the hands of a third before her own leg lashed out.

We fought back to back, my cool anger a perfect match for her ice cool demeanor as we worked together. Our weapons flashed in the night as they swung around us. Legs kicked out if we were given enough room to use them. With out batting an eye we quickly downed the men around us. They didn't stand a chance.

The last one fell as I knocked him down and I turned to survey the yard when I felt her arms move swiftly behind me and I turned back around. The man I had just downed had apparently pulled out a pistol, it laid now on the ground next to him, with Marina's knife stuck into the ground next to it. Her other one was buried in the ground next to his head as he laid there wide eyed.

She calmly walked over and pulled her blades back out as I kicked the pistol even further away. "Who are you?" He asked in a stunned voice as he clutched his bleeding hand.

"A member of a family you shouldn't have messed with." I sneered back at him, then hit him upside the head with my asp.

"Feel better?" Marina asked me as she sheathed her knives at her hips.

"No." I replied flatly. "And I won't until I get to hold my children." I kicked the prone body in front of me to emphasize my point.

"Goongala!" Came from the garage as another body came flying out of the door. There were a few crashes and bangs after that as we made out way towards them to help. We stormed in and We promptly did the dukes of hazard slide over the hood on Ellen's SUV and crashed into a couple of guys Casey was struggling with. I crashed into one as Marina crashed into another and Casey's golf club swung over us to take out a third. Cris' hanbo swung around, nailing another in the rib cage before she spun it back around and nailed him in the head.

After a few short, and painful for them, minutes the garage was quiet and bodies were littering the floor. "Go scout the perimeter." I told Marina and Cris and they nodded before jogging out the door leading out to the backyard. "Casey, help me get them all bundled up."

"And what ya gonna do with them after that?" He asked as he pulled some rope off of the garage wall.

"Throw them into the back of the U-Haul." I shrugged. "It'll hold them until Leo gets back. We'll figure out what to do with them from there."

And that's exactly what we did. Stripped them down to their undies, just because I was pissed enough to do it, tied 'em up and literally chunked them into the back of the van. Then slammed it shut and locked it. Then we went back to our scout spots after we made sure Ellen and Peter were doing ok up there, they weren't happy, but they were ok. Once again I settled down on my spot on the roof as Casey fixed the door and rearmed the taser trap while Marina and Cris moved the vans from in front of the house and ditched them in the nearby woods. Once again I was forced to wait. All of us fully expected another wave to come looking for this one. And once again we would be waiting for them.


	13. Chapter 13

Dennis and Amy were starting to lag again, and Leo really couldn't blame them. It was rough going out here when you were in top condition, and they weren't. They held up the best they could but Leo knew pretty soon he's have to find another place to hole up for another rest period. His eyes began to search the night time landscape even as he gently pushed them on.

Still they were being pursued, and they also had to engage a few patrols that got too close. As much as it needed to be done, that was also the reason they knew the general direction of travel that they were now taking because they knocked out bodies had been found by wandering patrols. Leo had hoped to lose them in this large swamp, but so far they hadn't been able to do so.

They were slowly making their way to the bridge that they had used to cross the river. He wanted to at least make it that far tonight, but wasn't sure they would. The teens were just too tired. Dennis stumble in the water they waded in and Leo's hand swiftly reached out to catch him before he fell face first in the muck that was all around them. At least they now had decent shoes on their feet, just because Mikey and Donnie had robbed the feet of their pursuers. The added weight of the now mud covered and sodden boots they wore wasn't helping them now though as they both stumble frequently. Leo wrapped his arm around the boy, slinging his arm around Leo's neck, and supported him as they trekked on.

"Donnie, is there any chance you could make another tree nest?" He quietly asked.

"Not in this are." Came the just as quiet reply. "The trees in this area are all just too small. We are going to have to find shelter on the ground tonight."

Another hurdle. Leo just nodded as he let out a quiet sigh.

"Over there." Raph pointed. "There is a dry spot."

Leo looked at the area Raph that had pointed out and moved closer to investigate. It was basically a long flat mound that rose up out of the muck around it. There was plenty of vegetation to hide them, but only in the darkness. They would have to move out before the sun came up. "It will have to do." He looked at Dennis who was wearily hanging off off him and Amy was now being carried by Mikey, already asleep.

Raph and Donnie pulled the bushes out of their way as Leo and Mikey carefully brought the teens into the thicket. Leo then guided Dennis to the ground before he took out his katanas and turned them into makeshift machetes, clearing out a clearing large enough to hold them. All the vegetation he did cut down was the scattered around the outside, further adding to their cover.

"What about gators?" Mikey asked nervously as he looked around.

"I seriously doubt that one that would be large enough to cause us trouble can make it through that thick vegetation." Donnie calmly told him.

"Still. Double watch, one on each side of the mound." Leo told them. "There are other things besides alligators out there to worry about."

Donnie and Raph disappeared into the bushes as Mikey gently laid the still sleeping Amy down. "How much farther do we have to go?" Dennis asked wearily as he rubbed his eyes.

"About another day at least." Leo told him. "Maybe two. We were able to move much faster on the way here."

We slowing you down?" Dennis smiled at him.

"A little." Leo told him honestly. "But you haven't built up the endurance we have, and you've been through a lot the last few days. The delay is expected."

Dennis let out a resigned sigh at that as he dropped his head in his palm. "I'm just so tired."

Leo knelt down and placed a hand on the boy's shoulder. "I know. If I could have driven you back I would have. But the others are busy at the moment, and I'm not going to risk you and Amy in a car chase. It's longer this way, yes, but also safer."

"Besides kiddo, out here we are in our element." Mikey said as he laid down on his side next to Amy, pulling her closer to him and resting her head on his shoulder then laid a protective arm around her. Leo knew he would stay close to her tonight, just as he planned to do with Dennis.

"Not really." Leo told him wryly. They were used to the city and Casey's farm, but not to swamps.

"Better than them." Mikey waved his arm back in the general direction of the compound they had left the night before before it wrapped around Amy again.

"It'll be ok Dennis." Leo reassured him again. "We'll get you home. Take those boots off and let them dry out a bit, along with your feet. We've been walking in a lot of water and they need the chance to dry out."

Dennis nodded as he unlaced the stolen boots. Leo walked over and carefully did the same to Amy's so he wouldn't wake her. He smiled as he shot her a quick glance as he pulled them off. He could have probably yanked them off and she wouldn't have noticed she was sleeping so hard.

Leo settled down down to the ground next to Dennis, staying very close to him. Not sure if it was his presence right next to the boy that allowed him to drift quickly off to sleep, or if it was because he was exhausted, maybe even both, Leo wasn't really sure, but he himself didn't settle down as easily. Leo's eyes watched their little campsite and he strained to listen for anything that would cause him any concern.

He didn't know really how long he laid there, listening to the soft sounds of Dennis' breathing as he slept when he heard Donnie's very soft call. "Leo! We've got company!"

The blue banded turtle was up in an instant and made his way over to where his brother kept watch. He crouched low in the bushes next to Donnie and the younger pointed grimly out into the swamp. Two beams from flashlights could be seen moving around out there, and they were way closer than Leo wanted them to be. "Dammit." Leo grumbled. "Stay here." He quietly got to his feet again.

"Want Mikey to go with you?"

"No. Keep him near them. I'll deal with this."

Donnie didn't doubt it one bit as he watched his brother slip away into the night. He's been overdue for his turn anyway, so far he has stayed with Dennis and Amy while the rest of them took care of earlier pursuers. Donnie grinned an evil grin at the thought of what was about to happen. They considered themselves the uncles of the sleeping teens, Leo considered himself their father...and that was way more dangerous...for them...

Leo took his time, staying out of the range of those beams of lights and circled around behind the group. Once in position he looked this group over and his eyes narrowed. He noticed the guns right away and a cold burning anger came to life. They wanted to harm those two innocent children, whose only fault was being sired by a fucking idiot, and he wouldn't let them. Ever.

There were about ten of them, but that didn't phase him at all as he silently stalked in. He would take on twice as many if he had to. The first thing he did when he was close enough was to take out those flashlights. He did that by launching two kunai, one at each hand carrying a light. The soft thunk of the metal embedding itself into the hands was covered by the pain filled screams of the owners of them. Both lights fell from the hands that carried them and the fizzled out once they landed in the shallow water.

Leo wasted no time and used the groups confusion to his advantage as he slammed into them. The first one got hit squarely in the nose with his fist and he could feel the cartilage giving way under is knuckles. He didn't even give it a second thought as an arm came at him in the darkness. Leo reached and grabbed the clumsy swinging arm and twisted it as he brought the guy around, the snap of the bone in that arm didn't stop Leo from throwing him into a third and they crashed together hard.

A sneer found it's way onto his face as he dodged out of the way of the shots fired, coming back around behind the shooter before he ripped the rifle out of his hand and slammed him upside the head with it hard enough to break the weapon. The man tumbled limply away as Leo spun around, bringing his leg up and nailed another in the chest hard enough to crack a couple of ribs. He slammed into a nearby tree and slid to the ground, moaning in pain.

He ducked next, under another swing and kicked out his leg again and again his target ended up with a broken bone when the leg snapped after he made contact. The two who he hadn't gotten to yet tried to flee at that point, and Leo launched himself into the chase. He quickly caught up with the stumbling men and launched himself into the air and came down in between them in a split kick and they both crashed into a tree on either side of him. They didn't get back up.

Quietly he stalked back towards the two with the injured hands and, still sneering, ripped his kunai out of one's hand before he broke that guys nose too. Then he lifted the last one up into the air by his shirt. "I'd advise you to stop following us." He snarled as he ripped the Kunai out of his hand too. "I guarantee you that you won't like the outcome." Then he spun and slammed the man's head into another tree.

Then Leo cleaned the small blades on their clothes before he put them back in his belt where he kept them, giving himself time to calm down. He knew his threat would more than likely go unheard, even if the guy remembered it when he woke up. That was fine with him too, he'd just remind them of it again the same way.

Just as quiet as he came, he left the area, not even looking back at the havoc he left behind him. At this point he really didn't care if the gators got them or not. His only concern was the safety of the children.

He quietly slipped back into the bushes, smiling a little at Donnie amused chuckles. "They never seem to learn, do they?"

"Learn what?" Leo asked him.

"Not to fuck with your family."

Leo just gave him a now calm, level look. "Then I'll have to keep reminding them." He said matter of factly before he went back into the small clearing, once again lying down next to his sleeping son who had slept on, oblivious to what had just happened. He would keep them near him, and he would keep them safe. And he really didn't care how many bones he broke in doing it either.

He stayed awake the rest of their resting period, keeping up his own silent vigil even as his brothers kept theirs. The children slept, more than trusting their guardians with the task they had taken on to be able to do so.


	14. Chapter 14

"Duck!" Marina snapped out and I didn't even ask why, I just did it. I dropped to the ground as she came flying over me with a leg extended. The loud "uumpf" behind be clued me in that someone was trying to sneak up on me while I was busy with the two in front of me.

I still had to deal with them as Marina dealt with the other one. I quickly twisted from my stomach to my back and launched my legs up in a double nut shot, then my legs kicked out again to hit them in their faces as they doubled over before I swung myself back to my feet.

I leapt and rolled over Casey's swing as he took out another guy and landed my own kick as I came back down, nailing another right in the face. I lightly landed on my feet, then ran over to help Cris.

The second wave we had been waiting for came right before dawn, and there were more of them this time around. I was beginning to wonder how many we were actually facing here. "Lord David...what did you get yourself into?" I mumbled as I came in, tackling a guy who didn't see me coming. He hit the ground with a groan and I hit the ground giving him a black eye.

I after I pummeled him into unconsciousness I rolled forward, trying to get out of the way of the weapon about to be fired at me, but the shots never came as Cris closed in on the would be shooter. After a few strikes he was laid out on the ground next to a few of his buddies.

But now we were in a bit of a pickle as we found ourselves surrounded. "Fucking bitches." One snarled as he took aim. I rolled my eyes, like I never heard _that_ before...

Before Cris and I could even begin to move, a baseball bat came up behind the guy, then came down. The would be gunner fell forward, out cold, and Peter was standing in his place.

"Damn it Peter!" I snapped as I quickly moved forward, grabbing an arm of the man trying to get my father-in-law and threw his ass across the yard. "What the hell are you _doing_ out here!"

"I can't stand by anymore and hide while you all are out here protecting my home!" He grumbled back at me, pummeling another guy.

"Sounds familiar." Cris muttered. "You sure he isn't _your_ dad?"

"Oh shut up." I replied and she chuckled. That was about the end of that conversation as we exploded into motion again, each of us taking on the rest of the men that had tried to surround us. Peter looked at the sheer fury in our movements and wisely backed up out of the way as we systematically knocked them the fuck out, along with a few of their teeth.

The sun was starting to peek over the horizon by the time we were done with them. I leaned tiredly against the wall of the house as Casey once again began to truss them up like Thanksgiving turkeys. It was about that time I noticed David standing in the garage doorway that led out to the battlefield of a back yard. He was quietly watching me when I met his eyes. "What." I said shortly.

"I didn't know you could do that."

"When you knew me, I couldn't do that." I replied in that same short tone.

"Took lessons?"

"You could say that." Why was this shit head even talking to me? I had nothing really I wanted to say to him at the moment. My eyes were searching the distance, in the direction I could feel his pull from. He was closer now, that I could tell. But still awhile out. I just sighed as I closed my eyes.

"So...you ever going to tell me what exactly is going on?"

All motion out in the yard stopped a bit as my friends all looked at me a moment. I didn't notice, I just glared at him. "And why in the hell should I do that?"

"Damn it Vicky!" His own temper flared. "Those are my children too out there! I think I have a right to know what's going on with them!"

Anger fired up in me as I stared him down a moment. "Uh oh..." I heard Casey mumble and Marina and Cris started to walk towards me. Again...I didn't notice them.

"No, actually you don't." I snarled at him as I walked over to him. "The only _right_ you have to know is that you hurt them! You pushed them out of your life when they needed you the most. _You_ walked out on _them_!You walked out on _me_! You left me with _nothing_ to care for them with! And you think you have the _right_ now to try and force me to tell you anything? _We_ don't owe _you_ a god damn thing! And to be honest if it wasn't for him convincing me that you needed protection too, I would have left your ass to rot in the hotel room!"

"Him? Sounds like you found someone to put up with your bitchy ass." He snapped. "I left because it wasn't working out between us, it's that attitude right there that drove me away!"

"I'm only bitchy when you give me a reason to be, and you've given me plenty of those. And I didn't bitch back then David. I tried to get you to understand that those two children were more important that your goddamn play toys you kept buying."

"So, what? I'm supposed to give up everything for them? I wasn't allowed to do anything for myself?"

"Not when we were struggling for food! You can't eat video games you dip shit! Then you leave, you just gave up on us when things didn't go the way you wanted. And the one time you pop back into their life, it's because you fucked up again. Why can't you understand that what you did, are still doing, isn't fair to them!"

"But it's fair for you to have someone else I've never met raise my children? You think I didn't catch onto the hints over the years? The quickly shushed conversations? The voices I don't know in the background? What kind of bastard did you hook up with this time you don't want me to know about? You forget, I know your track record. Did you learn to fight because he's a piece of shit too? Like all the rest? Wouldn't surprise me, seems to be your type. Had to learn to fight because he raped you a few times maybe?"

I boiled over. Cris and Marina were on the porch by them but they didn't move quick enough for what they both knew was coming, and they didn't need to be in my head to figure it out either. I didn't slap him, my fist clenched at my side and I smoothly nailed him in the face with it. I was about to beat the living snot out of him until Cris and Marina grabbed my arms and pulled me away from him, kicking and screaming.

"Oh, real good job there stupid." Cris snarled at him. "I'm really wishing we didn't have to save your worthless hide." I had given up trying to fight free of them by now and collapsed crying onto the ground between them. Unbidden memories came flying back into my mind of a night long ago when I was pinned against a tree. He didn't know it, but yes, that was exactly the reason I trained so hard to learn how to fight. So I could protect myself and my loved ones.

Marina was also glaring at him. "You have no idea what you just earned yourself." Marina told him coolly. "And I hope I get to see it when you find out."

It took me a moment to catch on to Marina's hidden meaning, but I did when I felt the rage in my mind, even from this distance.

"Oh please. You talking about the mysterious man that came into the hotel room the other night? I'm ready for him this time."

"You keep thinking that." Cris mumbled.

Peter had walked up by now and was staring his son down. "Boy, that's about enough out of you. None of us asked for this shit _you_ brought us into. So I'd advise you to watch your mouth."

Marina had by now lowered herself to the ground next to me, and I clung to her as I tried to get my crying under control. "I wish Leo were here." I mumbled into her shoulder around my sobs. "I'm not strong enough...to deal with him right now. I want my kids, I want Leo..."

"He will be here, soon. And he'll have Dennis and Amy with him." She calmly told me as her arms wrapped around me. "Just bear with it for a little while longer."

"Come on. Let's get her inside so she can calm down." Cris told Marina and together they lifted me up before guiding me inside. They both glared at David as we passed him, but didn't say anything as they kept going.

I was led to the living room and placed on the couch where I just held onto a pillow, clutching it to my chest because it was all I had to hold onto.

"Get some sleep Vicky." Marina told me. "If anything comes up we'll wake you. Casey and I will deal with those guys in the yard."

I just nodded numbly as I laid myself down. I just stared at the fireplace as I laid there, because it was the only thing in my direct line of sight. Finally I just closed my eyes, tired of looking at it, tired of David, tired of missing my kids, just...tired...

But as much as I wanted it too, sleep wouldn't come. The memories David unknowingly had brought back up in my mind haunted me for more reasons than one. It made me think about the things that could have possibly been done to my children at the hands of these men. Did they hurt them? How were they treated? Did they try to...try to...was Amy ok? Would Leo be able to bring them home safe? What if something happened out there? How was I supposed to get to them? All of these things and more kept flashing into my mind, various scenarios of what could have been done to them in those few days replaying over and over again. My worry grew and I was honestly about to cry again.

It started small. A feeling of warmth, like a small warm drop of water that slowly spread into a comforting blanket. It smothered all of those worries, eased their presence from loud screams to a very dull whisper. Then something else was added to the mix. Reassurance, love and determination to make it back, with everyone. Like he had done so many times in the past, Leo felt that I needed him and responded. It was a distant feeling, but he was still there, just like he always was. I held onto the connection, clung to it like I clung to the pillow I still held tight against me. Then came something that was faint because of the distance, but was welcome none the less. _'I'm here dear one. I'm always here. Sleep now, I'll be there soon. I promise.'_

I clung to those quiet words as I was finally lured to sleep. There were no fears or memories anymore to bother me, just him and he stayed with me until I fell fast asleep.


	15. Chapter 15

Leo was a little distracted as he made his way across the bridge. He had clearly felt her anger and pain earlier, despite the distance. And he fully saw what caused it. As Hide once said "The femme pushes strong when she feels." She had literally slammed him with the conversation they had over there as her temper started to rise. Once he controlled his own anger, he quickly sent his thought to her. Calming her, soothing her anxieties. Reminding her that he was there and stayed with her until she fell asleep.

And once she was finally asleep he began cursing like a damn sailor. David didn't know the how close his remarks actually came to hitting the mark, forcing a door open that Leo had painstakingly nailed shut. And he had the nerve to do it _after_ he placed his children in this current predicament. Leo was _not_ happy.

"You ok bro?" Mikey asked him from where he was carefully maneuvering around the bridge supports. Raph and Donnie had taken up the task of helping the children and moved cautiously ahead of them, keeping a careful watchful eye on them as the group slowly inched its way across. "You've been in a pissy mood since sunrise."

"No." He told Mikey as he ducked under a support beam. "But it's nothing you need to worry about."

"They are doing ok over there...right?" Mikey asked him with a note of concern in his voice. "Nothing went wrong did it?"

"They had to deal with another group, but they are all fine." Leo told him.

"Well, not _all_ of them I hope. It's be a shame if we got there and they were having a picnic in the backyard with these thugs." Mikey mumbled.

Leo allowed himself a small smile. "That isn't what I meant little brother. They have been dealt with."

"Oh, ok." They kept going in silence for a bit until Mikey spoke again. "It's Vicky, isn't it?"

Leo groaned and rolled his eyes. "Mikey, I told you. It's nothing you need to worry about."

He just shrugged. "Was just trying to help is all. I know I'm not much use besides kicking someone's backside until they have toes for teeth, jokes and pranks. But I do care. I can see something is bothering you, and I just wanted to make sure it wouldn't affect what we are doing here."

Leo paused a moment and sighed. He placed a hand on Mikey's shoulder and turned him to face his older brother. "Mikey, you have my word. Nothing is more important to me right now than getting them back. I know you are trying to help, but there isn't really anything we can do from here."

"She's having problems with the ex huh..."

"It seems so. Honestly, I'm regretting my decision to take him under our wing right now."

"Then why did you?" Mikey asked as they started to move on again.

"Because it wasn't right. He may be a piece of shit for one, but he is their father." Leo said quietly. "If something happened to him, I'd never be able to forgive myself. How could I let their father suffer through that?"

Again Mikey grew quiet as he thought of what to say. "You know, Master Splinter was our father, and he wasn't even related to us. I think you might be putting too much thought into the bloodline, and not enough into the feelings. I'm not saying you should have left him for the wolves, but maybe see where Dennis and Amy stand on the whole father issue. Then when they make the choice, which I have a fairly good idea which way that wind will blow, do something about it once and for all. Clear up everyone's doubts about who raised who and all that jazz. It's been hanging over yours and Vicky's head enough since we had to come down here. You fight for them now, fight for them back there too. Just my opinion though."

"Maybe." Leo sighed as he looked at the turtle beside him. "But I've never wanted to resort to doing that. Even after all of this time, I still feel like it's not my place to interfere."

"Leo, you already have. You have influenced those two since the day you laid eyes on their mother. You may not have wanted to interfere, but you did by just trying to make them happy." He looked Leo dead in the eye then. "Who is the father of a child? The man who sired them, or the man who raised them with love? A lot of times it's not the same person."

"I feel like they are my children." Leo quietly admitted to Mikey as he watched them under the care of his brothers. He was almost ashamed to admit it, but he honestly felt that they were his. He loved them just as much as he loved Ty and Lavi. Risked coming down here, being exposed in this world, because he loved them as his own. He would do anything for them, even lay down his own life. When Amy had called him Daddy at the dance he had thrown together for her it had felt right. It surprised him, but it felt right. His eyes narrowed as he realized that he and David had more than his comments to Vicky to discuss, and the man wasn't going to like what he had to say. He had hurt her enough, and Leo was going to end it, tonight.

"Donnie!" He called to the brother who was leading with Amy. His voice covered by the traffic overhead.

"'Sup?" He called back eve as he steadied the girl over another support beam.

"We are going to make it back tonight." He firmly told his brother. "Think it can be done?"

"I don't see why not." He replied. "Just switch them out between us every few hours and we should keep the same pace we had on the way in. It's pretty much a straight shot from here to Peter's house. What about those clowns trying to follow us?"

"We could just outpace the patrols if they are on the other side." Mikey suggested. "Instead of beating up on them if they get to close."

"What are you talking about?" Amy asked as she looked from one turtle to the other. They had only been moving for a few hours and already she was growing tired. Leo could see it in her features. She was trying to be brave and hide it, so was Dennis, but neither did it very well.

"Looks like you two get to ride from here on out." Raph told her.

"Seriously?" She asked. "The whole friggin way?"

"I'm going to bring you to your mother tonight." Leo told her. "If we have to carry you, so be it."

"It should be ok to do it that way." Donnie added. "The raw spots have scabbed up or dried out, so carrying them shouldn't cause them to much discomfort now."

"Then it's time." Leo decided. "Past time to get you back home." He looked in the direction of her pull. "Way past time."

"Gotta get off this bridge first." Raph reminded them before he started to guide Dennis along again.

It was starting to get to that uncomfortably warm stage of the summer day by the time they crossed this hurdle. Leo paused long enough to make sure that the teens could drink some water. They gagged at the taste, but Leo made them drink anyway. He wasn't about to let them get dehydrated along with everything else. Once they had drunk enough to ease that worry at the moment, Leo carefully looked over the landscape below him. He couldn't see anything down there, but he'd learned over the years not to just trust his eyes. "Donnie?"

"Nothing down there right now. I don't think they caught on that we are over here."

"Then lets hurry before they do."

Raph and Donnie picked the teens up and carefully descended the pillar with them, following Mikey who was already on the way down. Leo brought up the rear and landed to the ground lightly after his brothers. They all burst into a run as soon as they hit the ground, now setting the same pace they did on the way in.

They ate up the distance now. Without having to take it slow the landscape was no problem now as Leo led them on, once again the murky terrain was no problem for them as they ran, leapt, sometimes even taking to the trees to get where they needed to go. Following Leo's pull and Donnie's readings they closed in on their target destination.

At routine intervals they passed the teens between themselves and it was Leo who carried Amy as the sun began to set.

She had her head leaned against his shoulder as he ran on with her cradled in his arms. He looked down at her as he heard her let out a soft sigh. "What's the matter little one?" He asked her quietly. "Is your back starting to hurt?"

"No." She replied with another sigh. "Still a bit sore, but it's not that. I just can't wait to get home. I miss Mom, I miss Memaw, Pawpaw...I just want to go home..." He could hear the unshed tears in her voice as she clung to him. So far she had held up somewhat ok through the whole ordeal, but he knew when she was truly safe back in the comforts of her grandparents house, she would be a mess. She had enough of her mother in her to not react that way.

"Not much longer Amy." He reassured her. "When the sun comes up, we'll already be there.

She just nodded as she kept her hold on him. He held her close to him as she cried a little bit. Nothing else he could do for her at the moment, besides get her where she wanted to be. After a few minutes she raised her head up again and wiped the tears from her eyes. "Are they ok? Memaw and Pawpaw I mean, they didn't get hurt or anything did they?"

"No little one. They are both fine. And your mother and the others are there with them to make sure they stay that way."

She just quietly nodded as she laid her head back against his shoulder again. "You think they will leave us alone now? I mean you slipped in to get us, beat their guys all over the swamp. Think they would give up?"

"I'm not really sure. But I doubt it. I'm expecting something else to happen before they do. And even then I'm going to have to do something to make sure they won't try again in the future. It's not over yet I think." That was another reason he wanted to get back as quick as possible now. They had finally been able to give the men that had been following them the slip. Now they only had one target to focus on, and he wanted to be there when they decided to act against that target.

"Well, I want in on the action." She grumbled in his arms as she crossed hers. "Didn't get to whoop to many asses that night, so I got some catching up to do."

Leo looked down at her with amusement. "Not really sure you are in the condition to do that yet, even if I did let you."

"Try and stop me." She huffed. "They scared my grandparents, drug me and my brother off, made me sit in that chair for like three days, made you come out here to deal with it and they are still trying to hurt my grandparents. I'm _not_ sitting this one out Leo."

He smiled down at her then. "Yes Vicky Jr." He chuckled.

"Not funny Leo! I mean it! Ima open the biggest can of whoopass you've ever seen on 'em!"

Looking down at her determined expression, he didn't doubt that one bit.


	16. Chapter 16

The house was still quiet when I woke back up after sunset. Man by the time this crap was over with my sleep schedule was going to be all messed up. Marina was just walking in as I sat up. "Hey, was wondering if you were going to get up soon or not. Ellen took the quiet time today to make something to eat, was on my way to come get you."

As soon as she mentioned food, my stomach growled loudly. "Might not be a bad idea." I smiled at her knowing grin as I got up.

I walked next to her as we moved towards the kitchen and she took a moment to wrap a reassuring arm around my shoulders before we stepped in, and go figure David was the first one that came in my view as I rounded the corner.

For a moment anger flared up, especially when he caught my glare and returned it, but Marina guided me away from him and over to the stove where the smells coming from those pots made my stomach growl again. He was probably mad because he had matching bruises on both sides of his face now, and I gave him both of them.

I just ignored David then as I reached for a plate and began to make me something to eat. Then I took my plate outside and sat down in one of the numerous chairs Peter kept out there, and ate.

Even as hungry as I was, I picked at my food, forcing myself to eat. Worry was gnawing at me again as I just pushed the food around on my plate. I looked again out into the distance, and his warmth came right back. He was closer now, but still a ways out. That alone made me feel better and I smiled a little as I began to dig into my food.

Peter was sitting in another chair also lost in thought as he looked out into the night. Finally he let out a pensive sigh as he looked at me. "This isn't over, is it." He asked quietly.

"I don't know Peter." I told him honestly. "But from experience alone, I'd say no."

He looked over at me then, his eyes curious. "Done this before?"

"Yes." I admitted to him with a sigh. "I just never thought I'd have to do it here is all."

"Vicky, you mind if I ask why you never told us? About them I mean."

"I know what you mean Peter." I chewed a bit as I thought it over on how to answer. "A few reasons I suppose. Wasn't sure how you'd react, or if you'd even accept it, didn't want them exposed to too many people in our world...and honestly, I didn't want David to find out about them. Still don't. He wouldn't be able to keep his mouth shut. We have a good life together Peter, and I just didn't want to risk it."

"Makes sense Vic. But yet they risk it all anyway to come out here with you. You have no idea how much I respect that." He sighed his own sigh then. "I'm glad you found him, them. Girl, I'll be honest. When you and David first split up, I was worried about you. You never seemed to laugh much anymore, and when I first met you there was always a smile on your face. Felt so helpless, stuck here and not being able to do anything to help and lord knows I wanted to. Then all of a sudden you turn back around. I always wondered what happened, I guess now I know. I won't tell David and neither will Ellen. We owe them for doing this and that's something that would take me another lifetime to repay. Keeping our traps shut about them is only a small repayment for that."

I just nodded and he grew quiet again. Wasn't really much I could say to that. I finished eating then took my plate back inside.

The rest of the evening was once again spent standing watch. Cris and Casey had covered the day watch and now it was mine and Marina's turn. At first it was calm and quiet as I sat up on that roof. I chose that spot mainly because I could see better, and it kept me away from David. The quiet I had so far been enjoying was quickly shattered shortly after midnight when I caught sight of more head lights coming around the corner at the same time Marina called a waring out from the back yard area.

"Shit!" I snapped as I quickly took in the amount of idiots we had to deal with. Seemed like they were throwing everything they had at us this time, and I wasn't sure we would be enough.

I wasn't about to give up without a fight though and I quickly made my way down the roof, then leapt in a forward somersault off of the edge, coming down right in the middle of a group that was quickly making it's way to the house. I spun, twisted, dodged, hit, kicked my way out of it, but there were plenty more. And they had already made it into the house, where once again Donnie's taser trap knocked a few of them out.

Cursing under my breath, I came running in through the front door and into the entrance way, sliding on the floor as I dodged a shot that was fired over me. I brought my asp against the shooters leg, cracking him hard in the side of the knee, and he went down. I didn't even give him time to scream out his pain to the world as I nailed him upside the head next.

Then it was a mad dash to get out of the line of fire from the rest of them in the house as they peppered the wall behind me with bullet holes. Maaaan...Peter was going to be piiiised...

I realized there were just to many inside for me to deal with. The area was to confined, I had to get them back outside. And I was going to piss Peter off by the way I took. But I at least went through the back door, I just didn't stop to open it. I came flying against the door with a kick and it fell outwards as I rode it on the way down. Behind me I heard Ellen's desktop computer go up in sparks as it was riddled with bullets as I passed. Oh boy...at least they followed me out though.

What I stumbled into in the backyard was worse than I had at first thought. There were men all over the backyard and my friends were all surrounded in different spots as they struggled.

It was Marina I tried to get to, she was the hardest pressed out of all of them and the closest. I bullied my way through the ring around her, opening a hole she could slip through and she took it. But not before a shot fired from close range. She hit the ground next to me, her hand clutching her shoulder, her eyes filled with pain as her knives dropped to the ground. But she didn't cry out, she refused to give them that pleasure.

In a fury, I spun around with a roundhouse kick that knocked them all away from us before I was at her side, trying to pull her up to her feet. "Watch out!" She warned me and I looked up just in time to get a rifle butt to the face. Pain exploded in my head as I fell to the ground next to her, stunned as I tried to focus. The yard stopped spinning right as I took in the fact that the same man was raising his rifle to fire again.

"Leave them _alone_ you assmunch!" A voice screamed out across the backyard, just as a piece of wood came flying in and hit the man's rifle, knocking his aim off just as he fired and the bullet hit the ground next to Marina. My eyes grew wide as I took in that voice just as a bo staff came whirling around before Donnie connected with the shooter's mid section. Anger filled his amber eyes as he nailed the man again.

My eyes desperately searched the yard for that screaming voice, that was still yelling things she really shouldn't be saying, and found the owner on top of the shed nearby. Amy was standing up there, tearing another piece of wood off and throwing it at another guy, and Dennis was right next to her.

I could take the time to fight the tears back, because Leo was there helping Donnie clear out the rest of our ring of goons away from us. I was back on my feet in an instant, and after wiping the tears away and it soon became clear that the others were there too. Raph was covering Cris and Mikey was helping Casey.

I knew right away Leo was pissed. He had a snarl on his face as he fought, hitting them so hard I could hear the bones breaking. Even as mad as he was, he made sure he stayed in the deepest shadows, as did the others, careful not to reveal what they actually were to the men they fought.

Mikey had actually managed to get Casey onto the roof, and they both disappeared behind the pitch of it. I had no idea where they went after I lost sight of them. Donnie had pulled Marina up and disappeared over the fence with her. Leo slipped into the deep shadows around the house and made his way over to where Cris was still struggling.

I noticed a group going for the shed and I hauled ass towards them, even as more chunks of wood came flying at them. "Stupid mother fuckers!" Amy screeched. "I'll teach you to fuck with me!"

"I think they get the point." Dennis tried to calm her down.

"I'll show them a point!" She ripped another piece out of the shed and held the pointy piece in her hand like a knife. Then leapt off of the shed.

"Amy! We were told to stay here!" Dennis snapped at her, and was ignored. He shook his head and sighed, then followed her down.

Now terrified, I ran faster. I just got them back, I'd be damned if I lost them now. But even as scared as I was for them, they held their own pretty good. Amy was taking a pleasure out of kicking them in the nuts and stabbing sensitive spots with her wooden weapon. She was dirty, pajamas torn and wearing boots that were about two sizes too big, but she was also mad as hell and letting everyone around her know it too. Dennis by now was in his own zone, his eyes calm and focused as he covered his sister.

I stormed into the back of the group that had surrounded them, my asps taking out my own anger on the backsides of two heads, one on each side of me, and they rolled forward into the grass before they laid still.

I stood between my two children as we fought, sneering I smacked the weapon out of the hand of one and Dennis came in with a hard kick to the stomach before Amy kicked the doubled over man's face hard enough to send him flipping backwards.

But as hard as we tried, the press of them was too great and my children were starting to slow down. They were tired, even Amy's rage couldn't keep her going and a fist found it's way through her defenses. Dennis pushed her out of the way and got the hit that was meant for her right in the face. He stumbled backwards as I turned to the offender. But he didn't fall. A pair of strong arms easily caught him and gently set him down, then Leo turned his attention to me and pulled me out of the way. "I'll deal with them." He almost snarled as he stepped past me.

And deal with them he did. Even as I knelt down next to Dennis, Leo was lashing out. He returned the hit to the face Dennis got with his own punch and they guy was knocked quite a ways out into the yard. The rest of them didn't stand much of a chance either. One crashed into the shed next to us hard enough to shake the structure, and when he fell to the ground there was a nice sized dent in the wall where he hit.

"Ouch." Dennis winced. "That must have really hurt..."

"I think it was supposed too." Amy grinned.

Her grin got even wider when Donnie came flipping back over the fence and joined his brother. His eyes still pissed at what had happened to Marina. Between the both of them, those guys didn't last long. They stood in the middle of a ring of downed men, blue and amber eyes blazing as they searched for someone else to bash around.

There was one group trying to run. Leo was about to take off after them, but Casey and Mikey made it to them first as they cut them off by coming over the fence they were trying to escape to. I don't think they even had time to realize they were going to get their asses whooped by a ninja turtle before they got their asses whooped by a ninja turtle.

Raph and Cris just finished up with their crowd and the yard was suddenly deathly quiet. And with that quiet I turned to my kids, grabbed them, pulled them against me, and cried. They were safe and they were back, I had my babies back...

"Mommy..." Amy whispered as she held me just as tight. Dennis didn't say anything, he just returned my hug just as fierce.

Leo just stood over us, his eyes softening as he watched our reunion before a small smile found it's way onto his face.


	17. Chapter 17

"Is it safe to come out yet!" Peter called out into the yard. "If I have to listen to that boy's whining one more time I'm going to punch him!"

All the turtles got the hint right away to that and disappeared.

I stood up with the kids and Amy ran across the yard to wrap her arms around around her grandfather. "Pawpaw!"

"Hey there my girl!" His arms came around as he hugged her. "Your Memaw and I missed you." Then he said quietly as I stepped onto the dark porch. "I can't believe they actually did it."

She pulled away from him in shock. "You know?" Dennis looked shocked too.

Peter nodded and winked at her.

Marina came slipping back over the fence just then, and I caught sight of the green hands that helped her over. Casey then helped her to the porch. I smiled as I noticed the white from the bandage under her shirt. Her arm was also wrapped in a makeshift sling.

I was so busy watching her that I didn't notice that David had stepped outside. "Hey! You're back! You made it home! How did you get here?" He was holding his arms out for his own hug as he smiled at them.

He didn't get that in return. Two sets of young eyes gave him very frosty looks and his smile slowly faded at the looks as his arms dropped to his sides again. Then his eyes narrowed in anger. "What? I wasn't concerned about you? God dammit! You are still my children! What the hell did she tell you for you to turn you away from me!"

I was boiling again at that, but I wasn't the one who responded this time. This time Amy nailed him in the face. "Nothing!" She snapped. "Mom didn't say a damn thing!"

"Really _Dad_ ," Dennis surprisingly cut in then even as he held Amy back from another swing "if you even deserve to be called that, she didn't say a thing. We waited for you, missed you, wanted nothing more than to be a part of your life. What did you expect to happen? That we would welcome you with open arms after you slammed the door in our face? Like Amy said before, we have a father, and he isn't you!"

"I had my reasons." He snapped back. "Reasons that didn't concern you. And I don't have to explain myself to a child. I am the adult here, and you better adjust your tone. I don't care what either of you think, I am your father and I will discipline you since your mother seems to just let you run off at the mouth!"

"Oh? I thought that's how you talk to a piece of shit." Amy shot right back. "And what were those reasons, hmm? Blowing your money on video games more important than coming to see us? Or was it the the new car stereos, the tvs and tattoos were more important than sending at least a birthday card? And the trip to Vegas? Needed the money to pay for all the hookers because no one wants to be with your pathetic ass?"

Faster than anyone could react, David slapped her. "I warned you, you will not talk to me that way! I am still your father and you _will_ respect me!" Amy's eyes had grown wide as she covered her cheek with her hand. She was too stunned that it happened to even try to put any words together.

I was going to kill him, straight up shove my hand down his throat and rip his heart out. A firm hand held me back even as David was suddenly pushed away from her. I looked up to see Mikey's dim outline behind me as he glared at David with hatred. "It will be taken care of." Mikey told me softly.

"Get them inside." Leo's voice came from the shadows he was standing in. "Now."

Peter put his arm around Amy and he and Cris guided the stunned teen inside, even as Marina and Casey led Dennis in. "You are dead to me!" Amy hissed at David as she passed him.

Once they were all inside, Leo's hand lashed out and nailed David. This time he stumbled back into a shelving unit on the porch and they both tipped over. Leo didn't give him the chance to even try to get up, Leo just lifted him up and slammed him into the wall. I could barely make out what was happening, but the anger that was coming my way gave me a good idea what was going on. " _That_ was for hitting Amy." Leo snarled at him, then hit him again as he had him pinned to the wall. " _That_ is for what you just put them through." Leo's arm came back again but David pulled a knife out of god knows where. Leo just adjusted his swing and wrapped his hand around the wrist and squeezed...hard...until the blade dropped to the ground, then Leo hit him again. " _That_ is for everything you've done to them in the past." Once more the fist came in, Leo was fully ignoring the pitiful attempts David was trying to fight back with. " _That_ is for bringing grief to Vicky." And again. "And _that_ is for insulting my honor for even suggesting I would rape her! I'm the one who trained her to protect her from low life pieces of shit like _you_!" Leo hit him again, just because he felt like it apparently.

I was about to intervene, but Mikey still held me back. I just looked worriedly on, honestly scared that Leo was going to lose control and kill him by accident, but he stopped. He did keep him lifted against the wall though. "As of _right_ now you lost any claim you ever might have thought you had to them. Stay _out_ of their lives. _I_ raised them, _I_ went and got them out of the shithole _you_ put them in, they are _my_ children! If I _ever_ catch you hitting either one of them again I will make you wish you hadn't!" There was a pause. "Are we clear?" Leo asked him in a deathly quiet voice.

"Dammit! They are my children!" David struggled against Leo's firm grip.

"Not anymore." Leo snarled back. "You don't deserve them and I am taking them from you."

"You can't do that!"

"I just did."

"I'll take you to court you mother fucker!"

"I hope you do." Donnie told him then from another dark corner. "Should provide me with plenty of entertainment as I clear everything back out again."

"Are we _clear_?" Leo slammed him against the wall again.

"You just want me to give them up?" David asked incredulously.

"You already did that years ago." Raph said grimly. "Why put a fight over it now?"

"Because they are mine!"

"No, they aren't." Mikey growled and I looked up at him in shock at the tone from him. "You don't own them and they are not toys that you can play with whenever you feel like it. He's done more for them that you ever did, and he didn't have to do it. He wouldn't have to resort to this if you just gave two fucks about them. You put them in danger, he pulled them out of it. Which one of you two is the real father here?"

"That bitch put you up to this didn't she? What did she do? Fuck all of you?"

Leo snarled as he hit him again. "If you want to keep your teeth, I'd advise you to keep those comments to yourself. She didn't put me up to anything. _I_ made this decision, and I'll beat the hell out of you until you agree to it!"

"I don't have a say in the matter?"

"Depends on how long you want to stay in the hospital." Leo growled back. "There is nothing you can say at this point that will make me want to change my mind. You have had numerous chances to do right by them, and failed every time. I can not and will not just stand by on the sideline anymore and watch this. It ends _now_!" Leo slammed him again and this time David let out a pain filled groan.

"Fine." David finally gave in. "Go ahead and take them from me. Take my kids. I hope you're all happy now!" He shouted at all of us. "Beating a man, forcing him to give up his own flesh and blood!"

Leo dropped him then. "You had your chance, and you failed miserably. You can't make the right choices concerning them so now it falls upon me."

"Whatever." David mumbled as he got up to his feet. Then he tried to get a cheapshot in at Leo, but he had already moved to another spot, still in the shadows. David looked a little silly actually as he tried to punch the air where Leo had been standing just moments before.

Leo stepped in behind him and David found himself slammed into the wall, front first this time. "You want to try that again?"

"Fuck you! Let me go you asshole!"

"Oh no, we aren't finished just yet." Leo told him grimly. "I want all of the information on the loan shark you went to go see."

"What on earth for?" David almost yelled. "I can't tell you that! He'll kill me!"

"If you haven't noticed, he already is trying. Along with anyone else you pulled into this mess. I told you, it now falls upon me to ensure the safety of all of you. "

"I hope you're not expecting a damn thank you!" He spat at Leo who still had him pushed up against the wall.

"I'm not doing this for you." Leo snarled back. "I'm doing this for your parents, Vicky and the children. _You_ I don't give a damn about right now. You are just lucky enough to benefit from it as well, by keeping your life."

"God damn it David!" Peter snapped from where he had been standing quietly by the door. "Tell him! For once in your life admit that you fucked up and just try to fix a mistake! It's not just you this is about this time!"

"Dad, I-"

"The only thing I want to hear from you is you telling him what he wants to know! Or I swear I will tell him to give you another beating! I've about _had_ it with you! You are a fucking embarrassment for a son!"

"Ouch..." Mikey mumbled from behind me. "You know you messed up when your own Dad tells you that..."

"Talk." Leo snarled again, slapping him on the back of the head.

David sighed in defeat. "What do you want to know." He gave in.

"Everything." Leo told him.

Donnie carefully logged the information as Leo kept David against the wall. Mainly I think so he couldn't get a good look at who he was exactly dealing with right now. Once David was done, Leo looked at his brothers and gave a quick nod to the roof, and they disappeared. Then and only then did Leo let David go. Then he was gone before David could even turn around.

My ex looked around but didn't find them after intensly peering into the dark crevices that they had hidden in. Then he glared at me before stomping into the house.

I couldn't think at the moment. My mind struggled to take in everything that had just happened. Peter noticed it and walked over to me. "Go talk to him." He said quietly. "I think you need him right now. I'll keep David busy."

I just nodded and walked out behind the shed, where prying eyes couldn't see me. Then, I waited. And I didn't have to do it long either. A short time later he slipped over the fence and was next to me. I didn't say anything as I threw my arms around Leo, tears streaming down my face. "I never wanted that." I told him in a broken voice. "I never wanted the kids to hate him, I just wanted their Dad in their life. Is that to much to ask?"

"No, it's not. And you shouldn't even have to ask in the first place. I'm sorry if what I did upset you, but it had to be done. He's gone too far this time. I won't just stand there and allow that to happen again."

I just nodded as I held onto him. I knew why he did what he did and really wasn't mad about that. I was just so incredibly sad that it had gotten to that point.


	18. Chapter 18

I walked back into the house a short while later and immediately went looking for my kids. I found Dennis in the kitchen and the running of water in the shower told me that Amy was in the shower in the guest bathroom. Cris was standing outside the bathroom door with her arms crossed and Casey took up the same position in the kitchen with Dennis. I knew why both of them were doing that.

I sighed as I looked Dennis over. He was filthy and his pajamas were just in as bad a shape as Amy's had been in. And he looked so tired as he quietly ate a sandwich Ellen had just placed in front of him. I walked to him, then sat down on the bench next to him. "Mind if your Mom gives you another hug?" I asked him.

"Only if you don't tell Raph." He said quietly as he smiled. "Don't want him to think I'm going sissy on him." Ellen and Casey chuckled at that one.

I smiled back and pulled him to me, holding him just as tight as I did outside. "I'm so glad you're ok..." I whispered as I fought back the tears.

"Aw c'mon Mom. It takes more than a couple of thugs to bring me down." But he did return that hug pretty tight.

"Getting a little overconfident there?" I asked him as I tussled his filthy hair.

"Nah." He replied taking a bite out of his sandwich.

 _'Vicky?'_ Leo's voice came at me then, with a hint of amusement.

 _'Yes?'_

 _'Can you tell please explain to me why these guys in the U-Haul are stripped to their underwear?'_

 _'Because I felt like it.'_ I told him belligerently.

 _'Ah, I see.'_ He was quiet for a second then I heard his laughter from outside. _'Send Casey out please dear one. I think it's time to unload our toy box and we need him to drive.'_

"Casey, they need you outside."

"You got this?" Casey asked, nodding his head towards the living room where I could hear Peter talking. I assumed that David was in there too.

"Yes." I sighed. "If he acts out again I'll hit him with Ellen's frying pan."

Casey grinned at me and walked out the back door. Ellen was giving me one of those looks. "Not with my frying pan you won't."

I just grinned at her.

Cris poked her head around the corner. "Hey Dennis, Amy's done with the shower. It's yours."

"'Kay. Just hope she left me some hot water."

I got up and walked towards the hallway, risking a quick glance in the living room. Marina was sitting in one of Peter's recliners. She was paler than usual, and obviously in pain, but her face had a slight smug look to it along with a small smirk. She was quietly talking to Peter who sat in the other one next to her as she watched David.

That moron was sitting on the couch, and my eyes grew wide as I took a good look at him in the light. His lips were split in a few places, nose bloodied and his face was already starting to swell. One eye was already so puffy he wasn't going to be able to see out of it for awhile. Already you could tell that here in a little bit his face was going to be a roadmap of bruises. In his hand he had an ice pack pressed to his face. As upset as I was over the whole situation that just happened, I honestly took great enjoyment at seeing that messed up face.

"Serves you right." I mumbled as I kept walking.

I met Cris' eyes as I walked up to the room Amy was getting dressed in. "Leo did a number on him?" She smirked.

"How'd you know?" I asked her. She hadn't been outside with us.

"Because if it was Raph, he'd be dead." She chuckled. "You going to see Amy?"

"Yeah, just want to make sure she's ok is all."

"I'll go sit with Dennis then."

"I don't think you have to do that." I told her calmly. "I think Leo got his point across about hitting them, among a few other things."

"I'm more worried about them hitting _him_." She grinned and I laughed quietly.

After my quiet knock, Amy carefully opened the door then let me in and I shut the door behind me. My anger flared a moment as I saw the handprint still on her face, but I just let it go. Over all she looked so much better cleaned up and in clean pajamas.

She caught my look then rubbed her cheek as she looked away. "Stupid motherfucker." She mumbled as she sat down on the bed. "I suppose I'm going to get yelled at. I know how you are about us talking back to adults."

"No, actually I'm not." I told her as I sat on the bed next to her. "I can understand the frustration both of you feel with him, because I had to deal with the mother's version of it. I knew one day you two would go off on him, and it needed to be said from you." I smiled at her then with a raised brow. "But if you don't watch the curse words, I'm going to wash your mouth out with soap."

She actually blushed a little. "Sorry...I was just...so...so...mad!"

"I know." I pulled her next to me and gave her another hug. "Trust me, I know."

"It's just he blames you for everything. You didn't have to tell us anything Mom. How many times does he think 'I can't come see you because I have no money' is going to work with us? But yet he tells us about the new stuff he bought when he does decide to call. How stupid does he think we are?"

I just sighed as I still held her close, letting her vent. She needed to let it out, and the one who she should have let it out on wasn't going to listen. Not that he would have changed his ways anyway.

"I'm just sick of it, Mom. I don't want to see him anymore. I'm tired of him hurting me."

"And he won't do it anymore." Came Leo's grim voice from the window behind us. We both turned to see him climbing in.

"Thought you were dealing with our guests." I told him with a raised brow.

"I sent Casey and Raph out to drop them off somewhere. I didn't want all of us to go, just incase more show up." He looked at Amy then. "Besides, I think I am needed here more." His eyes flashed a moment as he gently touched Amy's red cheek.

"It doesn't hurt." She reassured him.

"It ended up hurting him." Leo growled and I chuckled a little.

It took a moment for that to sink in for my daughter then her eyes widened. "You hit him?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact I did." He replied as he crossed his arms. "As of tonight he has no claim on you, and if he tries I'll beat him again."

"What the heck did I miss?"

"Your forced adoption, by me." Leo told her. "You are _my_ daughter now and you won't have to answer to him for anything."

Her jaw dropped and her eyes filled with tears. "Oh...Leo!" She stood up and threw her arms around him, and cried. Tears welled up in my eyes again as I watched him gently place his arms around her "Daddy..." She whispered and I lost it. God, the water works just wasn't going to stop tonight it seemed.

He laid his cheek on top of her head as he held her close. "I won't let him hurt you anymore." He told her gently as she cried against him.

But there was still something missing. I went over to the door and opened it and poked my head out. Cris looked up from where she was still standing watch in the hallway. "What's wrong with you?" She noticed my tear stained face I guess.

"Nothing." I smiled. "Nothing at all. Send Dennis in here if you would please."

She just raised a brow at me. "Okaaaay..."

"Thanks." I then slipped back into the room.

A few moments later and a now clean Dennis came in with a curious expression. "What's up?" Then his eyes found Leo and Amy who were still glued together, and she was still crying. "Now what's the matter?"

"Amy is just getting used to the fact that you two don't have to call him Dad anymore." Leo told him. "I took that right away from him."

"What?" Dennis blinked, not really understanding what Leo was trying to tell him.

"You just went through the adoption system Dennis." I smiled. "Leo style."

Dennis looked at me then at Leo a moment. He was a bit slower to catch on it seemed. Then his eyes grew as wide as Amy's did. "Is...is that why his face is all busted up?"

"Might be the reason, yes." Leo calmly told him. "He didn't like the way I filed the paperwork."

Dennis' eyes blinked a few times and he swallowed hard as Leo's calm gaze never left his face. Then Leo reached out an arm to him and pulled Dennis next to him too.

"Leo...I...I...don't know what to say." Dennis told him as he still stubbornly fought back the tears. Typical male. He did cling to Leo though as the turtle's arm wrapped around him.

"Then don't say anything." Leo replied. "I think everything that needed to be said has already been spoken."

Yup, I was bawling my eyes out as I watched them. I gave him a smile as he looked at me from over their heads. _'I should have done this sooner. I never knew how much this means to them.'_

 _'You never had the chance to Leo. I think they already looked up to you as their father, this just gave them the opening to call you that.'_

He grew quiet again, just holding them close to him. His face had a gentle expression on it as he looked down at them.

"Now, isn't that the sweetest thing you've ever seen?" Mikey said from the window. He and Donnie were side by side, leaning on their arms on the window sill. And both of them had wide grins on their faces as they looked on.

"It's a Kodak moment." Donnie agreed.

Dennis jumped back in embarrassment at being caught in an unmanly situation and they laughed. "Too late kiddo." Mikey grinned. "We've already seen it. Can't carry the badass reputation now anymore."

"Oh well." Dennis shrugged. "Not sure Raph will share it with me anyway." He grinned and Mikey cracked up.

Amy smiled from where she was still holding Leo and his arm was still around her shoulders. "Dennis seems more like a Donnie to me anyway, always playing around in the lab with his gadgets. Not mean enough to be Raph."

Dennis turned to her and raised a brow. "Yeah, I think that's more your department. You were acting awfully Raphish earlier."

"I noticed that too." Leo smiled as he looked down at her. "I know I told you to stay on top of the shed and out of sight. Not tear it apart and beat everyone with the pieces."

"Huh...you sure? I must have mixed the words up in my mind somehow." She grinned impishly up at him. "I could have sworn I heard tear it apart and beat everyone with the pieces."

Leo snorted at that. "You're impossible." He laughed.

"You sure you want to adopt her?" I grinned at him. "She's a handful."

"Never been more certain in my life." Leo replied.

"Besides," Mikey grinned "the adoption process already went trough. Can't really unbeat someone's face in."

"That was pretty much they way I had it planned." Leo smirked at him


	19. Chapter 19

"Are you sure about this?" I asked Leo as I held onto him. We were lying in the back of the U-Haul, once again converted into a turtle room after it had been thoroughly cleaned out. Washed, bleached, rinsed and dried. Then our bedding had been put back in there. After that was done Leo told us what the next phase in the plan was. I really wasn't too happy about it either.

He had me in his arms, trying to soften my displeasure at what was about to happen. "Yes, I'm sure. I think it might be better if we do it this way."

I sighed as I held him, laying my head on his bicep. "I just hate being separated from you is all."

He just held me tighter. "I know. I feel the same way myself. I just don't want to take a large group of us all over the country. Casey, Donnie and I should be able to handle this."

The reason for that team? Casey drives them, Donnie deals with the tech shit and Leo deals with the threat directly. And they had to go all the way to Vegas to deal with it. The rest of us get to stay here and keep watch over the house. We didn't think they had anything left to throw at us, but Leo didn't want them left here, vulnerable in case we were wrong. Trying to hide Raph and Mikey from David while the rest were gone was going to be interesting. Confining the two turtles who hate being locked up the most...yeah...that sounds like real fun.

There was a quiet knock on the door to the van and the back slide up. "It's time to go, Leo." Cris told him. "Peter and Casey just got back from filling Ellen's car up."

They were using hers because mine wouldn't hold the large turtles too well, she had more space. It was going to be cramped, but they would both fit. None of us thought them taking the U-Haul would be a good idea. It was a little big to move around inconspicuously.

We both got up and made our way out of the back and easily hopped to the ground before making our way to the garage. Donnie and Casey were already waiting for us as Peter and Cris laid the back seats down in Ellen's SUV. Donnie pulled me off to the side for a moment and handed me a couple bottles of meds. "Make sure Marina takes these." He told me, concern filling his face. "Check her bandages regularly and, for the love of god, make sure she doesn't move that arm too much. She got lucky the bullet passed right through her shoulder joint, that doesn't mean I want her swinging her knife around with that arm though."

I took the bottles from him and gave him a reassuring smile. "I'm sure she'll be fine Donnie. I'll have Raph sit on her if I have too."

"Oh lord! Don't let him do that! He'll break her ribcage!" His eyes grew wide behind his glasses in alarm.

"I was joking Donnie!" I laughed as I tucked the meds away in my pocket.

He just glared at me and climbed into the SUV, muttering to himself.

Leo was about to follow him in until I caught his arm and pulled him towards me before pulling him down by his harness to kiss him. "You better be careful." I told him as I let him go.

"You ever going to stop saying that?" He asked with a small smile.

"No." I told him flatly.

He just shook his head before he kissed my cheek. "I will. I love you."

"I love you too."

This time I let him go as he climbed in. I eyed Ellen's vehicle warily, it had dipped quite a bit with the two guys in there. Casey slid behind the wheel and Peter hit the button to open the main door. They backed out as I quietly watched, and once they hit the road they slowly pulled away and all too soon were out of my sight. I let out a sad sigh as the garage door dropped slowly back down. Cris laid a reassuring hand on my shoulder before we went into the house.

That door took us through the laundry room and into the kitchen where I found Ellen sitting quietly at the kitchen table, preparing the meal she had apparently promised Amy the night they had been taken.

"Everyone still asleep?" I asked her as I sat down and pulled a sausage out it's package and began to slice it on the cutting board she had sitting there. Dennis and Amy had crashed hard by the time Leo and I finally got around to bullying them to go to bed. It was early evening now and they were still out it seemed.

"Last time I checked, yes." She was already slicing one and dumped it into the bowl when she finished. "Poor things must have been tired."

"They were. From what I've been told, they didn't get much sleep the last few days."

"David and Marina are still sleeping too." Peter told me as he pulled a fryer out and placed it onto the stove. "What ever that smart guy gave me to slip into their breakfast works pretty good. I might keep some of those around." He grinned at his wife.

"You do that and I'll be using this to cut another kind of sausage." She waved the knife in the air at him.

"Eeew!" I said before I cracked up.

"Feisty lil ol' grandma, isn't she?" Cris grinned from where she had sat down in the chair next to me.

"She has her moments." I smiled at the elderly woman.

"Psst." Came from the doorway that led out to the garage and we all turned to see Mikey hovering there. "Is it safe to come in? Just for a bit? I'd really like to see how you cook that. I keep trying, but I can't get it the way Amy likes it."

"I'll go keep a lookout." I smiled at Mikey. "I'm sure you're quick enough to get back to the attic or outside if I give you the warning that he is up."

Mikey beamed at me as I went to wash my hands and he quietly snuck in and sat down with Ellen, now her new helper. I smiled at the two as they talked easily together, her explaining to him how to make shrimp and sausage jambalaya. How she makes it anyway.

I decided to sit in the living room where David was snoring away on the couch, the pain pills Donnie had given Peter to slip to him obviously still doing its work. I actually had to grin at the whole thing. Donnie had to drug Marina's breakfast because she was notoriously hard to get meds into. He drugged David's not out of sympathy for his pain, but to keep his ass out of trouble. Leo was determined that he stayed here until the entire matter had been taken care of, just because he feared David would fuck up what they were trying to do. And since there were still going to be two turtles floating around, Leo had not asked, but ordered Donnie to knock his ass out. Donnie had already had his staff in hand and was walking towards the house when Leo clarified that he meant with his portable pharmacy and not with his whoopin' stick. Donnie actually looked a little disappointed about that.

"Why are you the only one who gets to hit him?" He had mumbled as he rummaged through his pack.

Leo had just rolled his eyes.

Peter came to join me not long after in the living room and sat in the other recliner. "I got kicked out of my own kitchen." He chuckled. "He's very serious about his cooking isn't he?"

"Oh yes." I chuckled back. "He's actually a very good cook. About the only thing really he takes seriously. He does have his kitchen moments too though." I grinned at him and told him about Mikey trying to roast a chicken on Raph's sai. He was trying so hard to hold his laughter in that his face was turning red.

"Where's the big one anyway?" Peter asked when he finally calmed down. "Haven't seen him all day."

"Oh, he's out there, watching. If you were able to find him I'd be surprised. None of them really feel comfortable enough to completely let their guard down. Not yet anyway."

"Pretty good at that sneaky stuff I've noticed."

"It is who they are after all." I shrugged. "I've grown used to it over the years."

"I imagine so." Then he looked at his son who was still snoring away, and let out a sigh so sad it almost broke my heart. He was a boisterous old man, almost as bad as my dad actually. Fought a Raph like temper most of his life before learning how to control it and finally was able to see the joy in things. He had worked hard in the oil industry that was a major employer down here, working long hitches on the platforms out in the Gulf. He had painstakingly built the life he has now, worked hard to enjoy his retirement. And his son had almost cost him all of it. To see the utter defeat on his face as he looked at the son he raised, hurt. "I don't know where I went wrong with him Vic. I really don't."

"I don't know what to tell you Peter." I replied quietly. "He wasn't like this when we met. If I had known this is where we would be today...I...I don't know..."

He rested his hand on my arm and we just sat there, staring at the snoring lump on the couch. "I hated to watch that last night." He quietly admitted. "Tore my heart apart, but I understand why your boy did what he did. I don't know them as well as you do, but I'm already understanding that there is so much more to them than just what you see in all of those kids shows. He loves all of you very much and I'm glad the kids had him over the years to be there for them. Seems like they needed him for more than just the latest fiasco." He looked a bit uncomfortable then. "I, uh, I hate to bring this up...but this doesn't change anything between us does it? I mean, if we lost the right to see them..."

"Peter." I said firmly. "I told you once, and I'll say it again. I'm not going to cut you from seeing the kids. What happened here isn't going to change that. To be honest, Leo and I, and the others, talked earlier about something."

"Oh? About what?"

I gave him an amused look. "Let's just say that a certain clumsy turtle had taken away the need to hide them from you. Next time you come up, you might be a little surprised on how large the family actually has grown. Dennis and Amy aren't my only kids, and they have little cousins."

He stared in shock at me as David snored loudly on the couch, then let a wide grin cover the lower half of his face. "Well, now. It seems a congratulations is in order, a little late maybe though. I'd love to meet them."

I smiled at him. "And I'm sure they would love to get to know you. They have heard Dennis and Amy talk about you so much. I'm just so sorry I hid all of this from you."

He patted my arm. "Don't be." He said as he gave his son another disappointed look. "I fully understand why you did. I wouldn't want him to know either just because he'd try and use the information to his own gain. Just gonna take some time to get used to all of this I guess. And I'm glad, and thankful, that you did run into them. Who knows what would have happened if you hadn't brought them here."

"It's not just David I'm worried about." I told him. "One slipup could cost us. One cellphone picture at the wrong time, one security camera forgotten about, or even the wrong person seeing them. We've risked everything to come down here, and it terrifies me to have them out there right now. So much could go wrong."

Peter nodded his understanding. "Might be why blue boy beat up on David so hard."

"Part of the reason, yes. That and he really managed to piss Leo off. Not a good thing to do as numerous individuals have found out."

"I just hope he learns something from this."

Our eyes me as he said that, and we both knew that was wishful thinking. David would more than likely never change. I knew him well enough that he'd just turn it all around in his mind that it would be my fault, just like everything else.


	20. Chapter 20

"This has got to be the most uncomfortable trip we've been on so far." Donnie mumbled as he tried to get comfortable in the tight space.

"I think I rates in the top five at least." Leo grinned at him.

"Will you two quit kicking the seat!" Casey snapped.

"I can't help it." Donnie grumbled back. "There isn't any room to move back here!"

"You're a ninja! Use one of those flexible ninja poses or something!"

"I'm trying!"

"Lord." Leo sighed. Maybe they should have taken the U-Haul...

The good thing was they were on the tail end of a twenty four hour trip, stopping only for gas, and their goal almost in reach as the nightlights of Sin City flickered in the distance. The bad thing was they were about to kill each other.

"I said stop bumping the seat!"

"You just worry about driving!"

"I can't drive with this damn mini earthquake going on under my butt!"

"Well then stop farting and the seat wouldn't shake! God I never knew you stank so bad when you let one go! I thought Mikey was bad..."

Leo tried to drown their arguing out, but it wasn't working. He just quietly looked out the tinted window as they kept at it. He never thought that Donnie would be the one to resort to these petty squabbles, but he guessed anyone could get crabby if they had to sit in a mobile sardine can long enough.

"I can't help it. That burrito I ate earlier isn't agreeing with me."

"Smells like something crawled up your ass and died." Donnie grumbled as he looked at his wrist display. "Take the next exit."

Casey just grunted as he did that and they made their way off of the interstate.

Donnie led them through the outskirts of the town and slowly worked their way into the seedier parts. Finally Casey pulled over in front of one of many cruddy looking buildings in this area.

"This it?" Leo asked Donnie.

"That's where he got the money from anyway."

Leo carefully looked it over a few moments. "For the amount of money that is at stake here, I'm thinking that this place is more of a cover than the actual 'bank' part of the operation."

"What do you want to do?"

Leo though a minute. "We are still going in. Let's see what we can dig up in there. Casey, find us a secluded spot where Donnie and I can slip out."

"A'ight." Casey started the SUV rolling again.

A few blocks down the road he found an alleyway and slipped the vehicle in. He didn't even have the vehicle put in park when he noticed that his friends were already gone.

.

.

Eric Johnson was not a happy man. Not at all.

He had spent years building his underworld empire. He had sweat blood and tears to rise above the others who had tried to claim that title. Cashed in numerous favors owed and asked for plenty himself.

His operations ran with perfection and had expanded the net far outside of the boundaries of Las Vegas itself. But here was where he earned the majority of his illegal paycheck.

He had a reputation, and not a good one. Anyone who dealt with him full well knew that if he didn't get what was owed to him he'd resort to whatever means necessary to collect that debt. He didn't go after the offender personally, oh no...he would hit their family members. After all, you couldn't collect that debt now if they were dead, right? But if he snatched a mom, a sister, cousin, whoever he could get his hands on, that gave them more of an incentive to pay up. And if they still couldn't do that, then, well...it's not the first time he's killed the hostage off and collected on the grieving customer's new inheritance from said family member. One way or another, he _was_ going to get his money.

Except this time. This time it seemed his usual careful planning and precision had ran into a snag. The idiot tried to run, for some reason they all do, but Johnson had men all over the place. It only took a few phone calls to set things into motion.

Things went smooth, they found his parent's house and Johnson was even delighted to know they had snatched his two kids who just happened to be there visiting. Kids always encouraged them to pay faster. He had made contact with the loan shark who had lent the money out, his men had been informed and an agreement made to pay. It was all going just fine as usual...

Until someone found his hidden hideout in the swamps and busted the brats out! How had they found them? Who helped them? Hell, he didn't even know who these guys even _were_! None of his men had been able to get a good look at them! It really started to fall apart when he sent another team to the house to get the parents, and never heard from them again. So now he had men running around in the swamps trying to find the kids and more men trying to catch the parents and neither group could take care of the simple task given to them!

At that point he was angry enough to want them dead, the whole stinking family. Hits had been ordered on all of them, the parents, the kids and the man himself. He ordered all of them to take the family out, then set fire to the house to destroy any evidence...but he never heard from them either.

And now he couldn't get a hold of his office on the south side of town, the same damn office that lent the money to this David fellow. He'd been trying for a couple of hours now, but the phone line was down and the shark wasn't answering his cell. This was inexcusable!

Johnson was pacing his office in his very large home, his bodyguards watching him with a wary eye as he stomped around and fumed. "How hard is it to finish a simple goddamn hit!" he yelled to no one in particular, his arms flapping around.

He stopped in mid stomp when the lights suddenly went out. _Now_ what! "Somebody go check the damn breakers!" He snapped. "And send someone to figure out why Larry isn't answering his damn phone! And I want another team ready in two hours to head out to Louisiana to deal with this situation! I want them all dead by the end of the week! The whole fucking family!"

He got a chorus of "Yes boss." As they all headed for the door, stumbling in the dark. They finally made it out the door and Johnson turned to the window. Was the whole block out or just him? Huh, that was weird, his neighbors still had power.

He spun around at the sound of some kind of ruckus coming from the hallway, and he ducked as his office door suddenly crashed inward, with one of his guards flying trough it. Pieces of wood went flying everywhere in the dark room. One chunk embedded itself into the desk right next to his covered head. The guard hit the far wall with a crash and a groan, then all was still.

Johnson looked wide eyed at the doorway, but all he could make out was a large shadow. He tried to make out something in the darkness, but couldn't. The shadow stepped into the room. He couldn't make out the eyes on the face but he somehow knew that those eyes were on him, just by the sudden chill that went down his spine. Suddenly he was scared, very, very scared.

Squealing in terror, he scrambled backwards from the menacing figure as it stalked in. That flight plan quickly came to a halt when he crashed into his large desk. Eyes wide he stared as whoever it was moved closer, it reached behind it's back and there was a steely hiss before the arm came out, and Johnson caught the glint of metal as the sword briefly hit the moonlight. A sword? This maniac had a sword?

"No, no, no, no..." He squealed as he tried to make a break to the side. He had gotten only as far to be able to get up on his hands and knees before the sword came down right in front of his face, it's point buried into the floor. He trembled as he realized that he came very close to losing his nose. His eyes went wide as he stared cross eyed at the blade in front of him.

His hand reached very carefully for the gun he kept under his suit jacket and a flash of pain came from that reaching arm as something sliced his skin. He looked at the small knife looking thing that had embedded itself into the floor next to the sword, then he froze altogether when he felt cold steel against his skin, another sword and a very sharp one at that. Johnson swallowed hard.

"Wrong move." A calm, but still angry voice said from behind him. "Try that again and I'll take the whole arm off next time."

"W-w-w-wha-" He couldn't get his voice to work for some reason. He swallowed and tried again. "What do you want?" He was able to croak out.

"The mark in Louisiana has been paid." Came that same voice. "Isn't that right?"

"I don't know what you are talking about!"

"I think you do." The blade pushed firmer against his skin. "Call off the hit."

"What hit? I don't know what you are talking about! I'm a legit businessman!"

"Oh? Are you now... Donnie?"

There was a chuckle from a different voice then and Johnson's eyes grew wider still as he heard his own voice played back to him. _'And I want another team ready in two hours to head out to Louisiana to deal with this situation! I want them all dead by the end of the week! The whole fucking family!'_

The sword pressed against his neck hard enough to draw blood this time. "I don't think you fully understand the situation here." The swordsman said then, quietly and directly into his other ear. "The mark has been paid. Your payment is your life. Call off the hit or I will slice your miserable throat right here."

"It'd be a shame to ruin such a nice Persian rug too." The other voice spoke up.

"Which is it?" The sword twitched again. "Call off the hit? Or do I ruin the rug?"

"I'll call it off! I'll call it off!" He squeaked out, his arms and legs trembling so hard he could barely keep himself up off of the floor.

"Wise decision." The sword in front of him slide quietly out of the floor in front of him, missing his face by a hair's width. "One more thing. I will find you. No matter where you go, I _will_ find you. Go behind my back and try to go for them again and I will come back and you will be a dead pile of meat on the floor. Understood?"

Johnson just nodded, his throat had closed up with fear by now and he couldn't get anymore words out. The sword at his neck pulled back, it's sharp edge gently caressing his skin as the swordsman pulled the blade away. Then there was a sharp pain in his head and he saw nothing else.

His eyes painfully blinked open who knows how much later and he struggled back to his feet. The lights were back on by now and everything seemed so normal, except for his broken in door and the guard still passed out against the wall. He walked shakily over to his desk and sat down in his large overstuffed chair. He took a moment to relax into the comforting leather before his eyes caught sight of something on his desk and all feelings of security left him again.

Pinned in the exact center of his desk by the bloodstained knife that had been used on him last night was a single piece of paper with plain handwriting on it. But the words on it chilled him. _'I will find you.'_

Johnson just stared at that simple note...for a long time. By the time the sun came up he was looking into local charities to donate his money to. The life he had built seemed suddenly less fulfilling and he decided to try his hand at a normal way of living.


	21. Chapter 21

I stood out in the yard after the sun set, carefully watching my children as they moved through their paces. Waiting until the cool of night to set in so they wouldn't over heat trying to force their bodies into movements that seemed harder for them to do today. This was their first time actually trying to train since their whole ordeal and I wanted to make sure they didn't over do it so soon yet. There was still a stiffness to their movements but for the most part they seemed back to their old selves.

Ellen and Peter were watching from the back porch as they sat in their favorite chairs, Cris was watching over the sleeping Marina and David, once again both knocked out. Marina at least grudgingly took her meds, David still hadn't figured out that he was being drugged to sleep.

Raph was standing out there with me as he coached them while Mikey was on watch duty. The others hadn't made it back yet but we were expecting them, soon hopefully.

"Bring that blocking arm up higher!" Raph snapped at Amy after she almost got nailed by her brother.

She just growled as she blocked another swing. "Better." Raph rumbled in approval.

A full day and half a night of sleep really didn't seem like enough to me as they already seemed to struggle to keep up their pace. Exhaustion still marred their features a little as they ducked and dodged around each other. Raph's eyes narrowed as he caught on to it too. "That's enough." He told them as he moved between them.

For once Amy didn't argue with him about it as she moved towards the porch with Dennis walking next to her. "I usually like training," She sighed as she sat down tiredly on one of Peter's bench swings. "but I'm glad that session is over with."

I chuckled as I followed them up to the porch then went to the mini fridge and opened it, tossing them both a bottle of water. "It's going to take you a few days for your body to get itself back in shape. I think Raph understands that, might be why he's been so easy on you today."

"Easy?" Ellen asked me. "That was _easy_? It looked like they were trying to kill each other!"

"You think _that_ looked hard..." I grinned at her. "You should see my training sessions."

"Speaking of." Raph looked at me as he crossed his arms. "Your turn. Not getting of the hook just because Leo isn't here."

I groaned. Me and my big mouth.

"Oh, this is going to be gooooood..." Dennis grinned at me. "I love watching you and Raph go at it."

"Probably because you know he'll kick my backside all over the place." I mumbled and he grinned even wider.

"Come on! Burning daylight here!" Raph snapped as his sai spun in his hand. I sighed as I went looking for my asps.

"He's not really going to use that on you is he?" Ellen asked me as I stepped off of the porch.

"Oh yes he will, and get a kick out of it too." I walked over to meet my doom for today.

"Ready?" He grinned at me.

"No." I told him and he laughed.

I warily watched as I wondered which out of the many various ways I was going to end up on the ground today. We started to circle each other, waiting. I had learned from experience not to move first. His patience would soon give out and he he would make the first move. His eyes did that telltale slight narrowing and I knew he was about to move in on me, right at the sametime a water balloon landed right upside of his head. He stood there, staring in shock as his face was dripping before his amber eyes flared.

"Dr. Prankenstein strikes again!" Mikey hollered from on top of the roof as Raph slowly turned his head to his younger brother. Mikey caught the look. "Uh oh..."

"Mikeeeeeey!" Raph roared and charged, completely forgetting about my training session now. Raph leap up to the roof and, laughing, Mikey leapt over him in a forward spin and hit the ground. He underestimated Raph's speed though and the big turtle crashed into him just a moment later and they went rolling across the yard.

Dennis and Amy were cracking up over the scene we had witnessed so many times it was normal for us. Peter and Ellen didn't know whether to laugh or be scared for the smallest turtles. They followed the teen's lead and bust out laughing too as Raph dunked Mikey's face into a barrel of rainwater Ellen used to water her porch plants.

I rolled my eyes as I walked over towards them and smacked Mikey upside the head when Raph let him back up again. "Aren't you supposed to keep watch?" I asked his grinning face, then wondered why in the hell he was grinning at me like that. He better not try to dunk my face into the water...

"No point to it anymore." A very familiar calm and quiet voice said from right behind me.

I spun around to see Leo standing behind there. Needless to say I wrapped my arms around him real quick.

"They're back." Mikey chuckled. "Did I forget to mention that?"

Casey came walking out of the house with a grin as he tossed the keys back to Peter. "Tanks full and not a scratch on her."

"Dare I ask how it went?" Peter asked.

"Very well actually, for once." Donnie said as he came down from the roof. "Found them pathetically easily. Leo trashed the hell out of the loan office then we went to go see the back manager. Made his point very clear...all three of them."

"Played bad turtle routine again?" I asked him with a grin as I looked up at him.

"No. Honest turtle. I let him know what would happen if he didn't leave all of you alone." He shrugged.

Donnie chuckled. "His argument was very effective at getting him to change his mind."

Raph let out a nasty grin. "Sorry I missed it."

"It's...over?" Ellen sounded like she really couldn't believe it herself.

Leo's calm gaze met hers. "Yes, it is. We will stay here a few days to make sure, but I seriously doubt anything else will happen."

"Overall, these guys were pathetically easy." Mikey told them as he sat on the porch, leaning on one of the pillars.

"This is my world Mikey." I reminded him as I smiled. "Remember, there are no genetically altered humans, rogue mutants or crazy secret agents running around over here. Just normal everyday thugs."

"Sounds boring." He yawned.

"Stupid is up!" Came Cris' call from inside and the turtles slipped off into the darkness again.

"Will you stop calling me that?" David snapped at her right before he barged outside, almost running into the door frame because his depth perception was still off due to one eye being swollen shut.

She snorted as she followed him out. "Seems to me you earned the name fair and square."

"I'm getting real tired of your mouth!"

"Feel free to _try_ and do something about it." She growled back as she crossed her arms.

He just glared at her, his fist clenching at his side. Her eyes narrowed when she caught sight of it. "Go ahead." She told him quietly. "I fucking _dare_ you..."

"David!" Peter's voice snapped then, but it was Ellen who acted this time.

She got up out of her rocker and squarely placed herself between Cris and David, her usually calm demeanor was gone and I got a good look at a pissed off mother. The porch grew quiet as they had their little stand off. "That's not how you were raised." She almost hissed at him. "You were _not_ raised to be so self centered, you were _not_ raised to be a mooching bum and you were definitely _not_ raised to believe hitting women is ok! Until you remember those things you are no longer welcome in my home!"

My eyes grew wide. That was one thing I really wasn't expecting, her kicking her own son out...

"Mom..."

"No! I meant it!" She snapped back at him.

"Don't you see what's going on here?" He almost yelled back at her. "She's managed to turn all away from me! And look who she has the children hanging around! No wonder Amy has a mouth on her, with examples like this placed in front of her!"

Peter just shook his head in frustration. "Still blaming others for your mistakes, even after this..." Now he stood up. "Boy, we've tried to be there for both of you. It broke our hearts when you and Vicky split but we tried to see both sides. And honestly at least Vicky pulled herself together and did what she had to do for those kids. What did you do? You ran and hid from the responsibility. You may not like it David, but those kids are part of our family, and so is Vicky. We weren't going to just cut them completely out of our lives just because you couldn't handle the burden anymore!"

"So I end up getting pushed out of my own family? Got strangers raising my kids and now my parents turn against me." He spun around and glared at me. "This isn't over! I _will_ take you to court! I'll sue you! I'll sue your boyfriend and I'll do my god damn best to take custody of _my_ kids! You fucking homewrecking bitch!" Again his fist clenched and this time his hand came up as if he was going to hit me.

Before I could even respond, David's eyes grew wide as he noticed something behind me before I was gently pushed out of the way. Leo strode past me, his eyes blazing and he didn't even try to hide this time. I didn't have to look to know the others were gathered behind me.

Snarling, Leo reached out and nailed David in the face again. He hit the porch and stared up at Leo who was hovering over him, his eyes still hard as he glared down at my ex. "You will do no such thing!" Leo snapped down at him as the other three came onto the porch. "You will leave them alone, that is what you will do."

David was by now scrambling backwards as he fully took in what was standing in front of him. Leo didn't give him the chance to scoot back any further as he reached over to pick him up by the front of his shirt. "I'm sure your little pea brained mind can figure out who are are...right?" Leo growled at him.

David's eyes were so wide they looked like they were about fall out of his sockets as he quickly nodded.

"Then you know _exactly_ what we can do...right?"

David was squealing a bit as he nodded again.

"I meant what I said." Leo growled again. "You will do _nothing_ to bring them more grief. You will sit in your miserable hole you find yourself in and stay away from _my family!_ " He threw David and Cris just smoothly sidestepped out of the way as he went crashing into the wall behind her.

" _Now_ you went and did it." Cris smirked at him.

"And if you even _think_ about trying to tell anyone about us..." Raph growled, right as he launched a sai that stuck into the wall beside his head, and his other one buried itself into the porch between David's legs, a few inches shy of some very important equipment. Raph then just calmly walked up and leaned over David. "Get my point?" He asked as he ripped the sai back up from the porch, then waved it under David's nose. David just nodded stupidly before Raph ripped the other one out of the wall and backed up.

"David, I think it's time for you to go." Peter told him. "Before you do something stupid enough to end up in the hospital."

He stood up on trembling legs as he stared at the four turtles in front of him, then looked at his dad. "I have no where else to go!" He was almost crying now, and I actually felt pity for him. He was as low as he could go, and he didn't know how to climb back up.

Leo sternly watched David as he stood shaking in front of him. "I think it's time you took a good, hard look at what brought you where you are now. I meant what I said. The children have expressed their feelings towards you, and their desire not to see you anymore, and I will enforce that. That doesn't mean you can't change. Do something with yourself, turn into the man you _want_ to be, not the poor excuse of one standing here now. I will be their guardian until they turn eighteen. You have until then to prove to them that you aren't a worthless piece of shit, and if you convince them you might be able to win their trust again. But until then, _stay away from them!_ " Leo reached out, grabbed the front of David's shirt and drug him close. Putting his snarling face right into David's. "And if you _ever_ badmouth my wife again I will personally defend her honor."

"Your...wife?" David looked to me and back to Leo again.

"Yes, my _wife_." Leo said through clenched teeth as he let him go and pushed him away and David stumbled backwards. He didn't fall this time, but he did look at Leo before he swallowed hard.

"David," I gently began as I laid a calming hand on Leo's arm "he's given you a chance to start over. Please, just for once, put everything that did happen behind you. None of us wanted this to go as far as it did, and I did love you at one time. Remind us all what is was that I fell for, the father you used to be."

He just looked at me quietly, then let out a sad sigh as he sat down in one of the chairs. He covered his face with his hands, then began to cry. I sadly watched him as he finally realized just how much he had messed up over the years and what it had cost him.

Leo remained unbending as he watched. "You have two years until Dennis turns eighteen, use that time wisely." Then Leo placed his hand over mine that was on his other arm, gave it a gentle squeeze then he led his brothers out into the yard to leave David to come to terms with everything.


	22. Chapter 22

I found him on the roof. His pose still stern and unbending as he quietly looked out across the night.

"Leo?" He turned to me as I made my way up the steep structure and his eyes softened a little. He wordlessly held an arm out for me and I took the offered hand and he pulled me up to him. He didn't stop when I was next to him but pulled me closer and I slipped into that welcome embrace as he pulled me to his side and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. "You ok?"

"Yes and no dear one." He replied as his thumb gently rubbed my shoulder as I leaned into him. "No one ever wants to do what I did. He feels like we took everything away from him when all I wanted was for him to see that there are consequences for his actions."

"He's always been like that. Well, since we split up anyway. Never could admit fault to anything. I at least tell you I fucked up after I fucked up. I'm not happy about it, but I do."

"It's a bit deeper than that Vicky." He sighed. "No one wants their children taken from them, no matter how little they are involved in those lives. He felt that no matter what else went wrong, he always had that to fall back on, something he could show the world that he did right, something he could still control. Then I take that from him as well. Now he doesn't have that to hide behind anymore, can't use them as a shield to bolster his own confidence. For the first time, he has nothing. Now that his entire world has been stripped away, he's seeing how far he has sunk and he is desperately trying to find a life preserver to keep him afloat. I hated doing it because I knew it would bring him so low, but now he is seeing clearly for the first time and maybe it will give him the motivation to change. Because he now has no choice. There aren't any life preservers left out there for him."

I pulled my head back and looked up at him. His gaze was still looking out over the quiet night beyond. His features once again set. Leo had obviously put a lot of thought into what he did. "So...you don't hate him then? You were just looking out for him?"

He snorted. "Of course I hate the stupid fuck. What he did was inexcusable. But that doesn't mean he can't change into a person actually worthy of respecting. It will take time and effort for him to regain the trust of Dennis and Amy, if he ever does. But maybe that time will be well spent if he can at least better his own life."

I chuckled as I rested my head against his chest. "That's my Leo, always trying to right all the wrongs."

"Well _some_ body has too." He said wryly. "World would fall down around our ears if I wasn't there to hold it up."

"Oh hush!" I told him and he grinned down at me. "Why did you show yourself to him though? You've already proved that you can knock some sense into him without him seeing you."

"I upped the stakes for him. Now he knows exactly what he is up against, and what will happen if he doesn't quit trying to hit those I love. And he can't do anything about it if he wants to earn the children's trust back."

I laughed quietly. "I didn't see you complaining when Amy and I nailed him a few times."

"He deserved it." Came the dry reply.

"Oh Leo!" I laughed as I hugged him. "What would I do without you?"

"Pray you never find out." He pulled me from his side to his front and wrapped his arms around me before he kissed the top of my head. I sighed with content as I leaned onto his body, with his arms around me. His watchful eyes twinkling as he looked down at me with a small smile. "It's good to see you happy again." He murmured as his arms tightened around me.

"You brought my kids back. I have plenty of reason to be happy now." I smiled archly at him. "Speaking of... I don't think I've paid you for that yet."

"Oh?" He raised an eyeridge at me. "I didn't know my services cost anything."

"Come here you..." I pulled on his harness, it was very handy for this I've noticed, and pulled him down for a kiss. A kiss he returned as I wrapped my arms around his neck. I pulled my head away from him and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "That's your down payment." I murmured into his ear.

"Mmm...I can't wait to collect on the rest." His fingers slid up under the back of my shirt. I shivered at his touch as his head came down and kissed me softly again. "But not here." He kissed the top of my head again instead, though his fingertips continued their gentle caress.

I leaned my head against his chest again as we stood up there, just enjoying this quiet moment together. I shivered a little at the cool night and of course he caught on. "Ready to go back down?"

"I suppose." I smiled up at him, and caught the mischievous twinkle in his eyes just as he scooped me up into his arms. Then the fucker started to just slide down the roof until he reached the edge and smoothly flipped off of it. I had to admit I was laughing when we hit the ground.

Everything was quiet, but that didn't mean it was empty. It really wasn't that late yet so there were a few souls still spooking around. I heard Donnie inside, fussing over Marina and she was fussing right back at him. And I heard the kids watching TV in the living room with Mikey. Didn't really know where the others were, just because I couldn't hear them. But David was still sitting in that same chair, and Peter was sitting out there with him, quietly watching his son as he still struggled to come to terms with everything. Leo and I just quietly by passed them by as we went into the house. I wanted a shower and Leo went into the kitchen where Ellen was spoiling Raph and Cris rotten. Leo had barely made it into the kitchen when she shoved a big bowl of ice cream in his hands.

"What's this for?" He asked her curiously.

"Because I thought you might like some." She reached to take the bowl from him. "But if you don't want it...I can always give it to Mikey."

He snatched the bowl back. "No, that's fine. I'll eat it."

I cracked up as I stepped into the bathroom.

After a nice, long, relaxing shower I stepped back out of the bathroom, all wrapped up snuggly in my robe. I went looking for my ice cream munching ninja and paused when I found him in the kitchen, still eating icecream. He gave me a sheepish look, then grinned and I laughed again. "Ellen, you are spoiling my boys." I smiled at her.

"Well, it's the least I can do for them." She smiled back before I walked over to Leo, stuck my finger in his bowl and stole some of his ice cream.

"Hey! Get your own!" He told me as he moved the bowl out of my reach.

Cris and Raph bust out laughing as I grinned at him.

The laughter quickly died off as the back door opened and David came in with Peter right behind him. Leo's eyes narrowed as he put his bowl on the counter, the ice cream now forgotten.

David didn't say anything as he stood quietly in the kitchen, watching us, watching Leo's mistrustful expression.

"I'm going to take him back to the hotel." Peter said then as he moved into the room. "I don't think it'd be a good idea for him to stay here." Then he looked at David. "And tomorrow we are going to go job hunting."

Ellen just nodded as she looked at them. Leo didn't say anything but just crossed his arms. Raph snorted and Cris smacked him on the arm. "Stop it." She hissed at him.

David just sighed as he turned towards the front door.

"Remember, two years." Leo told him before he turned that corner. "Make them count." David looked at him a moment, then nodded before he slipped around the bend. A few moments later we heard Peter's truck start up.

"Think he'll come around?" Raph asked as he looked out the window at the truck as it slipped away.

"If he wants his kids back, he better." Leo grimly told his brother. "Even then it might take longer for them to accept him again. He has a lot of work ahead of him."

Ellen let out her own sigh as she shook her head. "I hope he does. I want the old David back."

"I think we all do." I told her quietly. "But only time will tell I guess."

Leo just grunted.

I looked at him with a raised brow, then reached out and stuck my finger in his bowl again and scooped some ice cream out again, before I smeared it on his nose. "You can stop being a grumpy neanderturtle now." I grinned at his shocked expression.

"Come here you!" He reached out to grab me and I squealed as I tried to dodge. Yeah, that didn't go as planned as he lifted me over his shoulder, kicking and squealing.

"Watch my lights!" Ellen snapped before she picked up a cooking spoon. "Out! Out, out out!" She started to pop Leo with the cooking spoon as he, laughing, escaped the kitchen with me still hanging over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"Put me down!" I giggled as he made it to the safety of the backyard, with Ellen still yelling at him from the door, waving her spoon in the air. You could hear the others laughing behind her through the open door.

Still chuckling he set me back down.

"See what you did!" I glared at him. "You got us both in trouble."

"You started it." I got back with a grin.

"Yeah, I suppose I did." I grinned back as I used my sleeve to wipe the ice cream off of his nose, then wrapped my arms around him as I laughed. "I love you."

"I love you too dear one."

A few days later it was time to go. Leo felt it safe enough to leave now and we were quickly approaching the deadline to get the U-Haul back anyway.

Donnie had spent his time, when he wasn't caring for Marina, to help Peter fix numerous thing around the property that had gotten damaged during out unexpected stay. By the time he was done, you couldn't even tell that thugs had tried to turn the house into swiss cheese with bullets. He had even managed to save the computer.

Once again I felt a little pang as I gave my kids a hug. They still wanted to spend the rest of the summer here and I was going to let them. I'm sure Peter could keep David away from them until they were ready to deal with him.

"Think you can stay out of trouble this time?" I smiled at them as Leo loaded up the last of our things.

"Pfft...we didn't get into trouble _last_ time." Amy grumbled.

"Yeah Mom, it found us." Dennis grinned. "Seems to becoming a habit in this family."

"Still, if anything happens, call me. I'll come barging in riding the rescue turtles again." I winked at them and they laughed.

Peter chuckled from where he stood next to me. "Hope it doesn't come to that." He gave me a hug then. "Always good to have ya my girl. Just warn me next time you bring some crazy animals into my house. Always so hard to clean up after pets." I lost it... One day I would have to tell him about our Transformer adventure...

Once I gave Ellen her hug, and she gave the guys a box of homemade cookies, I slid into the seat of my Jeep and fired it up as Casey once again closed the guys back up. It was time to go home.

 **Author's note: I know, this one wasn't very long. But it was one I've been wanting to do for awhile. Always in their world running around chasing megalomaniacs, figured a nice, simple, story with easy thugs in our normal world would be interesting to write. Didn't have to strain my brain too much :D And, as usual, I've already got something else planned. The stories shall continue. Along with a shitload of oneshots to go with this...maybe...I dunno. We will just have to wait and see...**


End file.
